


Reconstruction

by agnikai58



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Medical Conditions, Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-01-10 04:43:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12291495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agnikai58/pseuds/agnikai58
Summary: Hana Song may be the best Starcraft player in the world but keeping herself on top pushes her to certain extremes. When those come out her life quickly gets turned upside down. As Hana begins treating her injuries she and her physical therapist soon become enamored with each other. Lucio/DVa. Medical rehabilitation. Injuries.





	1. Chapter 1

A multitude of lights hung from the ceiling or were attached to the walls. Some were mounted on swivels allowing them to cast beams of light all over as they rotated while others remained motionless, their sole goal to illuminate the indoor arena. Several hundred people were in attendance, their bottoms planted onto plastic chairs as their gaze was fixed on the large screen at the front of the room. The voices of two men came through speakers strategically mounted throughout the arena as they commentated on what was happening on said screen. Lastly a pair of booths stood facing the crowd, each containing a single occupant and computer.

  
  


The first was a gangly looking boy, only fourteen or fifteen years old. The other, and the main reason these people had come here today, was someone who had advanced to that stage of life where she had ceased to be a girl and matured enough to considered an adult, physically at least. Her flowing mane of hair was almost the same shade as her brown eyes and a pair of trademark pink triangles were painted onto both of her cheeks. They were far from the only ones though as many of the people, both men and women, in the crowd had similarly shaped marks on their faces to show support of their favorite player.

  
  


A flurry of activity appeared on the screen and the announcers voices grew more estatic. The pace of the last several minutes had been slow but steadily growing in tension. Neither player had been willing to commit, instead preferring to engage in a slow dance. Move forward to threaten a base then withdraw when the opponent's army approached. A few potshots had been exchanged but nothing that couldn't be healed or regenerated by the shields that all Protoss units had. But now the steady buildup came to a halt as both sides hit the supply limit and were maxed out. Upgrades were still being researched but no more units could be made and it was only a matter of time until the battle came.

  
  


D'va stared at her monitor intently, her mouse practically a blur as it swiped back and forth across the pad while her other hand danced over the keys. It was almost a meaningless act at this point, there was nothing left to build but she was still spamming actions just to keep her APM number up.

  
  


Her army moved outwards from her third expansion, an assortment of infantry and mech with ships to support them. She flicked to the middle of the map and dropped a scan to try and spot her opponent's units. Empty. Then came the sound of combat and her adjutant's robotic voice warning her that her units were under attack. Warning beacons flashed on the minimap and she could see tiny red dots at each of her mining bases. Her opponent had just dropped high templar at each of them and her workers were falling to pieces even as he tried to micro them away, frantically flipping from one base to the next but she was too slow to save more than a handful.

  
  


Almost immediately afterwards another beacon appeared, this time on top of her army. D'va flicked over to the scene as the battle commenced but too slowly, Storms of psionic energy had already been dropped on top of her forces and the deathball was rushing in. She desperately tried to split the units up to avoid the AOE damage but it was too late. Her marines were dying and the tanks were at the mercy of zealots who had closed the gap and were happily slicing away. D'va's hands slowly came to a halt as the Protoss army rolled through to her newest expansion, destroying the mining base there as well as the command center she had just built for the next base she was planning to expand to.

  
  


Outside in the arena most of the crowd had fallen silent, stunned by what had just happened. There were still enough resources and gas left over to build a small army, but not one strong enough to fight the deathball tearing through her buildings. D'va, also known as Hana Song had erupted onto the scene a little over three years ago. A player who could compete at the highest levels as random, something that hadn't been seen since the earliest days of Brood War. Her rise up the ranks had been meteoric until had laid swiftly claim to being the top ranked player in the game. Since then she had been undefeated in every competition... until now.

  
  


This wasn't even a major event, just single elimination qualifiers for the GSL. It had been taken for granted that she would advance through these without any trouble. Her opponent was someone playing his first game on LAN, newly acquired by a pro-gaming team after seeing him compete online. His nerves had been so evident that he had put his headphones on backwards, much to the amusement of the crowd and announcers. Most of the people in the crowd didn't even know his handle and yet somehow he was the one who had broken D'va's legendary streak. The Queen of Starcraft had just fallen. To a nobody.

  
  


D'va put her hand on the keyboard and pressed down on the same letter twice. 'gg'

  
  


She was seated in an insulated booth, wearing circumaural headphones over a pair of earbuds in order to block out the noise of the crowd but she could still see them through the glass window. Some people were standing up to cheer while more were banging thundersticks together and she could see others pointing their phones and computer tablets in her direction. Then the worst happened. Her opponent had strode out onto the stage and was bowing to the crowd before pumping his fists in exultation. It wasn't enough to beat her, _he was doing a ceremony,_ the lowest of the low was rubbing it in her face much to the delight of the audience.

  
  


D'va shoved her chair back from the desk and stood up, yanking her keyboard and mouse out of the computer by their cords. “You cocky piece of crap. I'm going to destroy you next time.” D'va muttered to herself once she was facing away from the pane of glass and the crowd beyond it.

  
  


Normally her coach would be outside, ready to talk about the game she had just played. Usually that involved discussing her opponent and what they had tried to do to beat her. All-in's with workers, delayed all-in's, cannon or bunker rushes, the latest unorthodox unit combination someone had come up with to try and catch her off-guard. Sometimes people even tried to play her straight up but that was uncommon these days.

  
  


Her coach was still there but with an expression even more dumbfounded than the ones of the people in the audience. Three years of beating everyone and everything had left him sorely unprepared for this moment. D'va slowed to a halt as she approached him but all he did was stare at her. She huffed and shook her head irritably. “Fine.” she bit off. “I don't need your help anyways!”

  
  


D'va stormed past him and out the backdoor. Screw her coach. Screw the interview. Screw her opponent. She was going back to the team house and she was going to practice. Three years undefeated? Screw that, she was going to go undefeated for ten years this time.

  
  


A white van was sitting outside in the parking lot, the logo of her team emblazoned on its side but D'va headed right past it. It was what all her teammates and coaches used to get to and from events but being the world's best Starcraft player had its perks. She pulled her keys and pressed the button to unlock her car's doors. The almost sickeningly bright pink Maserati flashed its lights and she heard the clunking sound of the locks disengaging. She sat down inside the sports car and leaned back in her seat, not bothering to put on her seat belt. “Back to the team house.”

  
  


When the other members of her team competed the others would come along for support during the game, to celebrate when they won or to be there when they lost. They had done the same for her at first but after a year and a half of never losing they had begun to take her victories for granted. Why waste time they could spend practicing when she was always going to win?

  
  


Half an hour later her car pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex. Hana stepped out of the car, locking it behind her as she headed to the elevator that would take her up to the top floor. Their team house, so to speak, consisted of two apartments. The larger of the two had been designated as the living quarters for the rest of the team. The second was where the coaches and D'va stayed, along with the practice room. She stopped in the apartment's foyer, slipping into a pair of slippers before sneaking a peek into the practice room. All the chairs were empty though half of the monitors were sitting on the Starcraft main menu and a pair of them were even paused on what looked like the same game as well. She smirked and shook her head. ' _Wusses, all of them. Off hiding because I lost a game? Typical.'_

  
  


D'va moved onto her bathroom, shutting the door behind her and making sure it was locked before dropping her pants to the floor. Several spots of crimson had seeped through the fabric and were plainly visible on the front of her underwear much to her annoyance. ' _Losing today and now my flow's ruining my underwear. How many tampons am I going to need to this cycle?'_ She grabbed the box from underneath the sink and opened it up. One left. _'Great, now I have to go to the store.'_

  
  


She grabbed the last remaining tampon and tossed the box aside. Just as she was starting to put the new one in someone had the audacity to knock on the door. “What!? I'm busy right now!” she yelled, not bothering to sugarcoat getting pissed that she was being interrupted, _while in her bathroom._

  
  


“Hey Hana, it's Seo. I heard about the match. It's understandable if you're angry right now but the other coaches and I want to have a meeting today.”

  
  


Hana yanked her pants up and buttoned them shut before opening the door. “Fine. We can have a meeting but I gotta go get some tampons from the store.”

  
  


A woman in her late fifties or early sixties was standing outside, dressed in a dark jacket and black turtleneck beneath it. She raised one arm up, a rectangular cardboard box in hand, the same brand of tampons as the one Hana had just put in. Hana looked at it for a long moment then snatched them away but not without a muttered. “Thanks Seo...” She tossed it over her shoulder without looking, the box landing in the sink. “Fine, let's get to this meeting.” Hana rolled her eyes once Seo's back was towards her as they headed towards the dining room.

  
  


Seo Eul Ji. There had been a time when she was the best woman in the game but that was back in the days when men and women played in separate leagues. KESPA had eventually merged them together and Seo soon found herself struggling to maintain the dominance she once had but not without victories over several notable players in the upper echelons. Eventually she had retired and become one of the best coaches in Starcraft, perhaps one of the best in any E-sport. Hana thoroughly enjoyed giving Seo a hard time but there was a definite kinship between them that she didn't have with the other coaches, beyond the fact that they were both women even. Hana might be the top Starcraft player now but without a woman like Seo paving the way she might never have gotten the opportunity to be a pro-gamer.

  
  


As they rounded the corner into the dining table Hana quickly realized it wasn't just the coaches attending this meeting. A man wearing a hand tailored suit made of fine gray wool was also sitting at the table. Lee Jae Yong, the teams owner and a former world champion in his own right. A folder sat on the table in front of him and the coaches seated to either side. Seo took a seat and folded her hands in front of her, not looking especially ecstatic to be here. Lee looked to his left and right before turning his attention to Hana. “Before we get started let me say that this is not meant to be an attack on you Miss Song. You've been the face of our team almost since the day we signed you and your win streak these last three years is the greatest run any player has ever had in Starcraft.”

  
  


“Your dedication to the game is something to admire. You practice longer than everyone else on the team and you've demonstrated that you understand the game as well as any of us, if not better. However, over the past year the coaches and I have been having some concerns.” He opened up the folder and started to pull out spreadsheets that he had compiled for this meeting. Lee slid them over to Hana's side of the table for her to look at. Each row of the spreadsheets had her name in the first cell, her opponent's name in the next, the date after that and finally a three digit number in the last.

  
  


“One of the things that we've noticed is that your APM has been slowly but steadily decreasing as of late. A year ago your average APM was four hundred and now it's down to just above two hundred, including spam actions. What happened in the game today is proof enough on its own. You didn't lose because he outplayed you, you lost because you couldn't react fast enough to what he was doing. A year ago this wouldn't have happened.”

  
  


Lee took a deep breath, ignoring the fact Hana was trying to burn two holes into his face with her glare. “How long have you been hurting Miss Song?”

  
  


Hana scowled at him and slapped the table with both hands as she stood up to shout at them. “I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine! I've won every game the last three years and now you're coming down on me the second I lose!? I'm the star of this goddamn team! How many times have I carried us in the Proleague? How many trophies? How many all-kills? How many reverse all-kills? You guys wouldn't be anywhere without me!”

  
  


“Hana...” began Seo, her voice warmer than it would be with anyone else in the same position. She reached into her pocket and started setting bottles down on the table. Acetaminophen, naproxen, trolamine salicylate, ibuprofen. “You forgot that I use the same bathroom as you and I found some pills you spilled on the floor a week ago. How long have you been using these?”

  
  


Her initial reaction was to yell more, curse, threaten and cajole until they dropped the subject. It had worked in the past but she could see Lee's iron fist lurking behind Seo's velvet glove this time. Hana slowly sank back down into her chair, shoulders slumping in defeat. “A year and a half now.”

  
  


“What hurts Hana?” asked Seo. Hana sighed and looked away, not wanting to answer the question. “Hana. What hurts?” repeated Lee, his voice harsher and more demanding of an answer now.

  
  


“My fingers and wrists. They've been getting sore after an hour or two of practicing.” said Hana, unable to meet their gazes.

 

Lee shook his head disapprovingly. “I have a great deal of respect for your skill Miss Song but I cannot, I will not, lie and say I admire what you're doing. Pretending you aren't in pain, medicating yourself in secret, pushing your body until it begins to break down. I can understand where you're coming from however, and I'll admit I was even guilty of the same flaws at your age. My shoulder still bothers me on some days because I didn't take care of myself when I should have. I'm not going to let you make the same mistake I did. As of now I'm taking you off the active roster until your health improves. The other concern I have is that this situation might be a distraction to the rest of the players so I'm going to have to ask you to move out of the team house until the matter is resolved. We haven't started looking yet but we'll find an apartment for you within the next few days.”

  
  


Hana started to stand up again but a warning look from Seo stopped in her tracks and she stopped short, hands on the chair's arms as if to push herself up. Lee started picking up the spreadsheets and putting them back in the folder. “Your salary will still be paid but you won't be allowed to play or practice until your doctor clears you.” He pulled a card out of his shirt's breast pocket and held it across the table the table until a uncharacteristically mute Hana reluctantly took it. “Call that number and set up an appointment. I look forward to the day you're ready to compete again Miss Song.”

  
  


Lee stood up and left the room, all the coaches but Seo following him out. The older woman remained seated at the table with Hana, neither of them moving for several minutes. Eventually Hana broke the silence. “You didn't tell them about the other things did you?”

  
  


The pills were an indication that something was wrong, that Hana had issues with pain and was trying not to feel it. But if Seo had found the bottles then it stood to reason that she had found the other, and far worse, paraphernalia.

  
  


“I don't know how you got your hands on cortisone injections though I guess that's why you always have a jacket or sweater on these days. Go to the doctor Hana or I'll be forced to do something that will hurt both of us.” After that she was gone, leaving Hana alone with her thoughts and the number to the person who her career rested upon now.

 


	2. Chapter 2

A couple of hours had passed since the meeting with Lee, Seo and the other coaches. They had been rather productive since then, much to Hana's annoyance. They had said they weren't going to let her practice or play Starcraft anymore, a promise they quickly kept. Her computer, mouse, keyboard and monitor had all quickly been removed from the practice room and stashed in Lee's room. Even her chair had been taken leaving only a piece of furniture that seemed more a tombstone than it did an actual desk now.

 

At least her coaches had the decency to leave her a laptop that she could use, albeit one with a lousy wireless mouse connected via bluetooth. She _could_ try to play games on the laptop if she really wanted to but this mouse had horrible tracking and would be a thorn in her side if she did try to play Starcraft. A part of her couldn't help but wonder if this was Seo's doing. Giving her a bad mouse was such a simple move but would be more effective than any other kind of deterrent... and right out of her mentor's playbook.

 

Speak of the devil and he'll appear, or she in this case. Seo was there at the doorway, announcing her presence with a knock on the door. “Have you called the doctor yet Hana?” The two women exchanged looks, Seo's patient and Hana's irritated. Seo folded her arms and leaned against the doors frame.

 

After a minute Hana conceded the battle of wills, reaching for her phone on the dresser next to her bed and started to dial the number on the white business card she had received. As the number rang Seo remained where she was to make sure Hana was following through. The medical clinic's phone rang twice before someone picked up. “Central Seoul Doctor's office, how may I assist you?” asked a patient sounding woman.

 

“I need to schedule an appointment with one of your doctors.” explained Hana.

 

“Are you a returning patient?”

 

“No, I'm new.”

 

“What is your name please?”

 

“Hana Song.”

 

There was a short pause before the other woman responded. “Of course Miss Song, we were told you would be coming. There's an available slot at ten-thirty for you in two days if that works for you.”

 

“S-sure, that's fine.” said Hana.

 

“Great, Doctor Kwun will see you at ten-thirty on Thursday then. And before I go I want to say I'm a big fan. Have a good day Miss Song.” The other woman hung up.

 

Hana frowned as she looked at her phone, the implications of this conversation not lost on her. Two days was awfully fast for a new patient to be able to get in to meet a doctor. And the woman hadn't said that there was a slot open, she had said there was a slot open for Hana. She looked at up Seo, rather perplexed. “Did you guys do something to fast track me visiting this doctor?”

 

“Yes.” admitted Seo. She glanced down the hall towards the practice room then stepped into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her and sitting next to Hana on the bed. “Lee is worried. We're still the top team in the Proleague but without you there's a chance we could fall out of the top four and not make the playoffs. He wants to get you to the doctor and treated as soon as possible so you'll be back before the playoffs begin... but that's not going to happen is it?”

 

“Huh?” responded Hana, as if she didn't understand the question.

 

“I'm not stupid Hana. You wouldn't be sticking yourself with needles if it was just your hands. How bad is it really?”

 

Hana sighed and she pulled one sleeve of her sweater up to just above her elbow. The skin of her arm was a shade of apricot like the rest of her body except in one area. The crook of Hana's elbow had whitened to the point that it resembled bone more than skin and there were tiny blackish-red scars where she had been poking herself with the needles. “The other elbow's like that too and my shoulders have started to hurt as well but I'm not injecting myself there...yet.”

 

Seo's shoulders slumped and she cupped Hana's elbow with one hand while brushing her fingers over those scars with the faintest of touches. “Oh Hana... what have you done to yourself?” asked Seo, her tone graver than Hana had ever heard it. “I knew you were injecting yourself when I found that needle but I didn't realize it would be this bad...”

 

“Seo I was just-”

 

“Stop, just stop. I know why you did this, to keep your win streak going but it ended today. I'm not going to let you keep hurting yourself anymore. I don't want to tell Lee about this but I need you to promise me that you won't try to play again this season.”

 

“But what about the Proleague? The team needs me!” protested Hana as she jerked her arm out of Seo's grasp.

 

“Forget the Proleague. Lee thinks you can come back this season but only because he doesn't know about... this.” Seo gave a meaningful look at Hana and the younger woman first wavered then started to openly cringe beneath it. “You don't owe anything to Lee, to the team or to me. You owe it to yourself to deal with your problems.”

 

Not return this season. If someone had suggested that to her earlier this week then she would have laughed in their face but then this day had happened...

 

Hana looked back down at the needle marks on her arm. Yesterday these had been a point of pride for her, a sign of how dedicated she was to being the best. Now when she looked at them all she saw was how desperate she had been, how far she had been willing to go and what she had done to herself in the name of winning. “Okay Seo, I won't come back this season but I _am_ going to come back.”

 

Seo reached behind Hana's back to grip her far shoulder and pull her protege against her in a one-armed hug. “I don't doubt it.”

 

***

 

Hana stared at the empty parking space, unable to comprehend the fact that it was empty. There was supposed to be a vehicle here but there wasn't. There was nothing there in fact, not even any glass that might have indicated a broken window. Just a bare patch of concrete. Hana fished her phone out and dialed a number, her voice surprisingly steady for someone in her situation. “Uhh hey Seo it's me. I think someone stole my car.”

 

“Huh? Oh, it wasn't stolen. Lee had it moved to storage yesterday. That car is really recognizable and we don't want to draw attention to the fact you're going to a doctor's office.” said Seo as she explained the absence of Hana's garishly pink sports car.

 

“But you published a press release last evening. It's on the front page of every esports site right now. They _already_ know.” said Hana, not understanding Seo's logic.

 

“They don't know the full extent of it, just that you're having wrist problems. If reporters saw your car making repeated trips to the doctor's office they'd start poking around and neither of us want that. I did get you a car though, it's to the right of where the Maserati was parked.”

 

Hana's swung to her right towards the vehicle in question and her hand holding the phone faltered then slowly descended to her waist. Calling this thing a car was almost an insult to every other car on the road. Paint so discolored and faded that it was closer to gray than the plain white it had been decades ago when the sedan had rolled out of the factory. There was even a sizable dent in the driver side door of the box shaped abomination. “You must be joking. This is the ugliest car ever made. I can't be seen driving this pile of junk!”

 

“You don't expect me to spend a fortune buying you a luxury car that you're only going to be taking to the doctor's office do you? I know it doesn't look like much but it'll get the job done and then we can sell it to get some money back.” Hana opened her mouth to further argue the point but she could practically see Seo shaking her head through their cell phones as her coach cut her off. “This is the way it's going to be Hana. Complaining won't change anything.” Seo hung up.

 

Hana's fingers tightened on her phone and she had to fight off the urge to dash it into pieces against the cement wall. She cast the car an irritable look but her shoulders sagged in defeat. ' _Fine you scrapheap, I'll use you but soon as I get my other car back I'm going Goodfellas on you with a baseball bat.'_

 

***

 

The doctor's waiting room was mostly empty, its only occupants Hana and a few other people. As she waited Hana pretended to read one of the magazines from a nearby table while she surreptitiously checked out the other patients waiting in the room. One was a pop star she vaguely recognized from seeing her on the TV. Another was a guy whose name she couldn't remember from some popular TV show she had only watched once or twice before rolling her eyes and closing the stream. The last was a well known journalist whose blog Hana had actually subscribed to during the last election even though she hadn't been able to vote at the time. Including her they were all public figures who had all happened to end up at the same doctor's office on the same day. ' _I guess I know why I got sent here even though there's places closer to the team house.'_ Hana mused to herself. She snuck another peek over the top of her magazine only to see the actor doing the same thing, the fact he recognized her clearly evident in his eyes.

 

“Miss Song?” A nurse dressed in pink scrubs was standing at a door leading to the back area of the clinic, clipboard in hand. “Please come with me.” Hana followed her through the doorway and up to an electronic scale. “Shoes off please.” After a second or two the red LED's came on, fifty six point four. Next to the scale was a square metal rod that could slide and down with numbers written on the front of it. Once Hana had her back to it the nurse pushed a blue plastic rod down against the top of Hana's head. Hana glanced at the number out of curiosity since it had been a long time since she had bothered to check how tall she was. The nurse jotted the number down, one hundred and sixty four, on her sheet next to the box for her weight. After that Hana was whisked off to one of the waiting rooms to sit on a paper covered examining table. The nurse turned towards Hana as she pulled a black cuff attached to a pressure dial and black bulb through rubber tubes off of a hook. “Roll up your sleeve please Miss Song.”

 

Hana hesitated, not relishing the idea of exposing her scars to a stranger, but those scars _were_ why she was here. She took a deep breath and hooked her fingers underneath the sleeve, rolling it up into a wad of fabric around her bicep. The nurse paused for a moment before taking the initiative as she shifted the cuff into one hand and pushed at Hana's sweater with the other, moving it up higher so that Hana's slender bicep was fully exposed for the cuff to wrap around. Once the cuff was on the nurse put another reader on the tip of Hana's index finger. The nurse squeezed the bulb several times while the reader did its work then she removed them both once she had gotten their measurements. “The doctor will be with you shortly.” said the nurse just before she left the room along with her clipboard.

 

Posters discussing various medical ailments hung on the wall, a computer sitting at the login menu was in one corner and various medical odds and ends sat in jars on the shelf above the sink by another corner. Nothing interesting to look at or even any magazines to read. Hana started to pull her phone out but she spotted a sign on the wall asking people to leave cell phones off as she did so. She grumbled to herself and slumped over backwards onto the table with a crinkle of paper. ' _So boring.'_

 

Fortunately she didn't have to wait long before Doctor Kwun arrived and she sat back up right away trying not to look impatient. Kwun was a middle aged looking man with hair cropped extremely short and an unusually stiff posture that made him look even taller than he already was. The clipboard that the nurse had been filling out had found its way into his hands and he flipped through it briefly before setting it inside. “Your blood pressure is high for someone of your age Miss Song. You should cut back on sugary drinks if that's a habit of yours. Eliminating them altogether would be best. Your pulse didn't indicate anything out of the ordinary.” Kwun set the clipboard down on the counter and his gaze quickly found its way towards the marks on her elbow. “What are you injecting yourself with? Morphine? Cocaine? Heroin?”

 

“N-no. C-cortisone” stammered Hana, caught off-guard by the doctor's bluntness and rapid, but still staccato, manner of speaking.

 

“Corticosteroids In the elbow? I see. You're an E-sports professional so you spend significant hours in front of a computer with a keyboard and mouse. Taking multiple over the counter drugs according to coach. Repetitive stress injury, carpal tunnel, tennis elbow possible.” Hana blinked as he went on, it was almost as if he was talking to himself more than to her. “Do you have any shoulder pain?

 

“Excuse me? I didn't say anything about taking meds. I don't know where you're getting that from.” said Hana with a scowl as she pulled her sweater's sleeve back down to hide her scars.

 

“Your coach, Seo Eul Ji, is an old friend of mine. You're not the first player of hers to have problems that required discretion from their doctor. We had an enlightening discussion regarding your particular situation yesterday. You've been heavily self-medicating which is a dangerous thing to do. You should be lucky that you didn't get an infection from the Corticosteroids you've so recklessly been injecting yourself with. Furthermore she told me that you have problems respecting other people's authority. Let me explain a few things to you.”

 

Kwun walked forward until he was looming above her as he leaned forward, his countenance completely placid as if discussing the weather. His voice was anything but however and the hard edge to his voice was enough to make her skin break out in goosebumps. “I served in the military like all the other men in this country but I stayed in the service and trained the people who protect our country. Let's just say that I loved my job and leave it at that. You don't need to know the details. What you do need to know is that I am your doctor. You will follow my instructions and your health will improve. If not your health will get worse and that will be your fault. Do you understand?”

 

“Yes sir.” squeaked Hana, feeling every bit the bunny rabbit that had become her logo.

 

“Good.” Just like that his voice was back to normal. “Do you have any shoulder pain?”

 

“Some but not as much as my wrists and elbows. My right hand is the worst though, that's the hand I have on the keyboard.”

 

“You're left handed?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Let me see your hands.” Hana held her hands up, palm down, in front of her torso for him to look at. His hands were significantly larger than hers but there was still a surprising deftness as he carefully squeezed her digits and knuckles between his fingers. “No swelling, discoloration or noticeable lumps. Tell me how this feels.” Kwun pressed his thumb against the heel of her right hand and held it there as he quietly counted to thirty before releasing the pressure.

 

Hana frowned as she looked at her hand, not understanding what was going on. “It's... numb. I can't feel... wait now it's tingling. Ow, ow, ow.” She started wringing her hand out trying to get rid of the invisible needles now poking into it. “What did you just do to me?”

 

“That was Tinel's test. I compressed the median nerve in your hand to see how you would respond. Numbness, tingling, a bit of pain. All classic signs of carpal tunnel syndrome. Let's try the other one.” Her left hand had the same responses as her right but not as severely.

 

Next up was to take a look at her elbows. Surprisingly he didn't start with the needle marks that he had seen earlier. “Straighten your arms as much as you can.” Hana held both arms out in the air without feeling anything out of the ordinary. “Rotate them so your elbow is facing up then facing down.” Next was bending her arm at the elbow and swinging her limb up and down to test that range of motion.

Easy enough, still no pain. “Reach towards the ceiling and stretch your hands as far up as you can.”

 

 

Hana began to raise her arms up but her hands had scarcely gotten above the crown of her head when she stopped, both shoulders protesting the action. She grimaced visibly and lowered them back down but the newfound ache didn't disappear. “That's as far as I can go.”

 

Kwun rubbed at his chin for a moment as he considered his patient. “How long has it been since you last injected your elbows? Their range of motion seems fine but it's possible you aren't feeling pain there because of the corticosteroids.”

 

“I injected myself last week.”

 

“I see. I'll have to list your elbows as being inconclusive for now. We could wait for the effects to wear off but that will likely take months. I'm going to schedule you for an MRI so we can get a better idea of your elbows condition.”

 

Kwun stood up and moved to the computer so he could start entering information in. “I don't want to suggest anything drastic when it comes to treatment since we have an incomplete diagnosis. I'm going to recommend you stop taking all your pills for the time being. The real problem is the fact that you've been injecting yourself for so long. It's possible that your adrenal glands aren't functioning properly but I can't tell without further tests. There's quite a few possible side effects so I'll need to print out documents of things you should be watching for. The biggest issue right now is weaning you off the corticosteroids. You can't just stop taking them because there's a risk of cardiac issues arising, mainly dyslipidemia or hypertension, something you already have a problem with, which can lead to coronary artery disease.”

 

As the doctor continued to speak his monologue was increasingly peppered with more and more words that would have high scores in a game of scrabble. The more he spoke the more Hana felt herself shrinking inwardly as the full realization of her folly was hammered in by a litany of medical terminology. If Kwun was trying to scare her then he was succeeding.

 

“After I go my assistant will come back to get a blood sample so we can run some tests on that. For now though I'm going to refer you to a physical therapist to see if we can manage your carpal tunnel and joints without having to resort to surgery.”

 

Kwun printed out another page and added it to the already abundant stack he had been collecting before leaving. Hana stared at them as she waited, alone, the ink letters on the paper a declaration of what her foolishness had brought upon herself.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Hana shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she and the nurse waited for the printer to finish spitting out sheets of paper. Once the machine had quieted down the nurse grabbed the pages and added them to the short stack that her patient was already holding. By now there were practically enough documents in her arms to comprise a short story, albeit a depressing one. The papers weren't the only thing she was leaving with however. A length of tape was wrapped around her wrist, trapping a cotton ball in place on top of the spot that the nurse had drawn blood from. The nurse pointed at a row of numbers on the topmost sheet. “This is the phone number to the physical therapist we refer people to. Doctor Kwun wants you to call them as soon as possible to schedule an appointment. Another thing to remember is that we'll be contacting you on your cell phone when your MRI appointment has been scheduled. Have a good day Miss Song.”

  
  


The waiting room in the front of the clinic was empty save for a woman working behind the check-in desk. Hana paused at the front doors, mentally bracing herself for the freezing air waiting for her outside. Her sweater was thick enough to keep her torso warm but that didn't prevent the cold air from nipping at her face and hands as she hurried through the parking lot. By the time she made it to her newly acquired car Hana's ears had turned red. She hurriedly unlocked the door and jumped in, not wasting any time to set the heat to max. Hana picked up her phone and dialed a number on it. One ring later and a familiar voice came through. “Hey Hana, done with your appointment?”

  
  


“Yeah. Doc gave me a bunch of papers to read and he said I needed to come back for an MRI later. Quick question though, why did you send me to this guy? He's a total tool.”

  
  


“Oh he's not all that bad once you get to know him. He's never really adjusted to being a civilian again after being in the military for so long but he's gotten better in the last few years. Normally he's fine but he probably thought he had to scare you to make sure you followed his instructions. Anyways I have some good news for you. I managed to find an apartment for you. I've filled out most of the paperwork but you'll have to go through and sign everything before it's official. I'll text you the address and meet you there okay?”

  
  


“Sure thing Seo...” said Hana, barely able to muster any enthusiasm as she ended the call. She slumped backwards against her seat and stared at the dull gray fabric covering the roof. Her phone buzzed and the address appeared on its screen. Hana looked at it for a moment before glancing out the window past the parking lot at the cars zooming past on the road nearby. After a bit she leaned forward and started punching the address into the cheap console this piece of junk had. The vehicle shuddered as it floated upwards before heading off to the road and joining the cars already flying down it.

  
  


Ten minutes later and her car took turned off the main road heading for one of the many identical apartment buildings in the area. As she drew closer to one of them Hana started counting the number of floors to get an idea of how many people lived there. Twenty floors in total, every one of them marked by rows of shining glass windows and concrete balconies. A white van with a very familiar looking logo painted on its side was idling in the parking lot, a bundled up Seo visible through the windows. Hana stuffed her medical papers underneath her seat before heading over to the van. She rapped her knuckles against the glass and gave a little wave when her mentor looked up. “Heya Seo. Let's get moving, it's cold out here!”

  
  


Seo grabbed some papers with a staple in the top left corner before joining Hana in the open air. Both women hurried towards the glass doors of the building, their breathes plainly visible in the air. The foyer of the building was fairly plain. Some potted plants, a wall of mailboxes with letters randomly sticking out of them and four elevator doors on each side of the hallway. Seo hit one the button to call an elevator and a nearby door slid open. The two of them stepped inside and Seo pressed a button indicating what floor they were going to. “So this apartment is on the top floor. That saves money on your heating bill since heat rises and all that. You won't have to worry about noise since no one is above you and you'll have a really good view Hana. Downside is that the mailboxes are all on the first floor. The biggest thing to worry about is your electricity bill. Do you know about pricing levels?”

  
  


Hana shook her head. Utilities had never been something she had needed to worry about. Someone else, her parents and later on Seo and the other coaches had always taken care of that. “So there's multiple levels based on how much electricity you use. If you get bumped up a level then it'll cost more per watt than the level below it. I know you're going to use your laptop and phone a lot so try to charge them somewhere else, at a PC Bang or something.”

  
  


The elevator came to a halt on the top floor and the doors opened. Seo headed out into the hall, Hana just behind her, as she continued her impromptu lecture. “Now you're not actually paying for any of this, the team is footing the bill for everything, but utilities can add up fast so it's good practice to start paying attention to them now.”

  
  


Seo stopped next to a plain wooden door near the end of the hall. “So these all use electronic keypads instead of regular keys.” She peered down the hallway in both directions before turning to Hana. “1269. Go ahead.”

  
  


Hana pushed each of the digits on the keypad and she heard the door's bolt unlatching permitting them entry into the small apartment. Just inside was a small patch of carpet where their shoes went. To its left was the washing machine with a gas stove set on top of it. A stainless steel sink with a fairly deep bottom was right by a fridge and freezer combo standing almost as tall as Hana. Seo glanced around the unfurnished rooms for a moment before opening the bathroom door. Inside was a tiled floor angled ever so slightly towards a drain in the middle. The toilet sat in a corner and there was a mirror sitting above a small sink as well. Lastly a showerhead connected to a metal hose was attached to a hook on the wall. “Your very own bathroom. No more finding other people's clothes on the floor or having to wait for them to finish and get out.”

  
  


“Yeah... that's great...” said Hana, glumly looking down at the floor with arms folded.

  
  


“What's wrong Hana?” asked Seo, picking up on the younger woman's mood immediately.

  
  


“This is all happening so fast...” Hana said as she put her fingernails in her mouth and her jaw started to bite down on them. “And I don't know if I'm ready for this. I moved into the team house when I was sixteen and before that I lived with my parents. I've never been alone before...”

  
  


Seo immediately took her mentor into her arms, squeezing her fiercely. “Oh Hana... you're not alone. I promise I'll come visit you whenever I can and this is only temporary. You'll be back with us soon enough.”

  
  


Hana buried her head into Seo's shoulder, trying to hide her tears. “I'm holding you to that.”

  
  


“Right. Well you'll need to sign the papers and then we can go get your things. We'll need to make a run to the grocery store so you have stuff to eat. And we need to get you a plunger while we're at it. Whenever you move to a new place make sure you have a plunger even if you don't think you'll ever need it because the moment you do...”

  
  


Hana wrinkled her nose and pulled away from the embrace. “Ick. Good job killing the mood too by the way.”

  
  


Seo grinned, her inner imp showing itself for a moment. “You're welcome Hana. Come on let's go. Anything else you need to take care of?”

  
  


“I need to set up an appointment with a physical therapist.”

  
  


“You should do that right now then. It's gonna be a busy day.”

  
  


***

Hana's first impression of the physical therapist's office was an older looking woman dressed in a blazer jacket and pencil skirt sitting behind a curving oaken desk. The next were a number of paintings hanging on the walls, which like the floor, looked to be made out of bamboo and polished until they were practically glowing. There were a pair of doorways on either side of the desk but only one of them actually had a door in it. The receptionist rose from her chair as Hana approached and bowed somewhat before sitting back down. “Hello Miss Song, it's a pleasure to welcome you to our clinic.”

  
  


Hana stride faltered a tad and she came to a halt, a tad uneasy at being greeted by name. “What? I haven't even introduced myself yet.”

  
  


“You don't need to. My granddaughter is quite a big fan of yours. I recognize you from the poster she has hanging above her bed. Now since you're a public figure you'll have your own room to yourself while here and we'll be assigning a single staff member to you for today as well as any future visits.” The receptionist slid a clipboard onto the desk. “This is our standard liabilities waiver for all of our patients. Please read it before you sign.”

  
  


Hana skimmed through the document. Blah blah blah, lawyer lingo. Not liable for any health issues getting worse, blah blah blah, successful treatment of health issues not guaranteed. Hana signed her name at the bottom and handed it back. The receptionist gave it a once-over before looking at her computer monitor as she typed something in. She turned in her chair and pointed at the closed door to her left. “Through there and you'll be in the second room on the right Miss Song.”

  
  


To her surprise the room in question was actually fairly spacious and well equipped. A treadmill stood off to one side, a television fixed to the wall in front of it. There was a set of shelves made out of plastic white pipes holding a fair amount of items. Weighted medicine balls, jump-ropes, a pair of rolled up rubber mats, an inflatable exercise ball, elastic bands, foam rollers and several colored dumbbells of various sizes. The last thing of note was a full sized massage table sitting off in one corner of the room. A cough came from behind her and Hana turned around to see who it was.

  
  


A man just a few centimeters shorter than her wearing a pair of loose fitting khaki pants and a dark green tee shirt was standing there with a clipboard in his hands. To her surprise it wasn't a Korean, it was a foreigner and a very obvious one at that. The man's hair braided tightly to the scalp in multiple tight rows that gradually faded from a deep chestnut at their roots to an almost blonde shade at the ends dangling by his shoulders. The irises of his eyes were dark, almost like the coffee she had drink that morning, and his skin looked like mahogany save for a few lines of obsidian ink peeking out from beneath his left sleeve. She was the less surprised of the two however. His eyes opened wide when she finished turning around. “D.Va!?” he blurted out.

  
  


“That's me.” replied Hana with a tiny shrug.

  
  


He looked down at his clipboard, back up at her then down at his clipboard again as he started laughing nervously. “So you're... the Queen of Starcraft... and I'm...” Abruptly he hit the clipboard against his forehead, the impact enough to make a dull thumping sound. “Okay I'm being an idiot here. Let me start over. I'm Lucio. Lúcio Correia dos Santos and I'm your physical therapist.”

  
  


“Lucio... Correia... dos... Santos.” Hana slowly rolled the man's name over her tongue, savoring the unfamiliarity of it. “That's a heck of a mouthful. Is it Mister Correia? Mister dos Santos? Or is it the whole thing? Correia dos Santos?”

  
  


Lucio started to wave his hands and say 'no' but the clipboard slipped from his grasp and flew through the air only stopping when it banged against the treadmill with a loud thwack. He cringed while ducking before going to go fetch it but then he stepped on the round handle of a jump-rope that had been left lying on the ground. The laws of gravity and momentum being what they are were enough for him to quickly find himself lying on his back, Hana above him and looking down with concern. “Are you okay?”

  
  


“I'm fine, aside from my ego. At the risk of sounding cliché I swear I'm normally not this clumsy.” said Lucio with a faintly sardonic grin. Hana held her hand out to him but Lucio waved it off as he rolled over and pushed himself back up with his hands, wobbling for a moment as he got his feet underneath him. “Heck of a first impression isn't it?”

  
  


“Could be worse. You could be bleeding or something...” Hana started to point out when the obvious dawned on her. “Wait you're speaking Korean.”

  
  


Lucio blinked once then waved his dismissively as he tried to downplay it. “Well yeah, we're in Korea after all. Helps to speak the same language as everyone else here.”

  
  


“Can I ask where you're from or would I be prying?”

  
  


“I'm from Brazil. Grew up in Rio de Janeiro.” Lucio made his way over to the clipboard and picked it up. “You're not here to talk about me though, let's see here...”

  
  


He lifted the first page to take a look at the second. “Possible carpal tunnel syndrome, right hand is the worst of the two and issues with shoulder flexibility. You're trying to avoid surgery on your wrists right?” Hana nodded and Lucio went on. “Okay I'm going to give you some hand exercises you can do at home and I'll order you some wrist splints. I'll have to measure your hands and wrists though so I get the right size. That okay?”

  
  


“Go ahead.” Lucio lowered the first page back to the clipboard before heading over to that shelf made of pipes. There was a plastic bin on the topmost row and he had to stretch upwards in order to reach it. The act of standing on the tips of his toes was enough to pull his shirt up revealing the elastic band of his underwear and the eyes of several frogs peeped back at her. Lucio pulled the bin off and rummaged through it before pulling out a cloth measuring tape.

  
  


Hana held a loose fist out in front of her and he wrapped the tape around her wrist before doodling a number in the margins of the documents he had been toting around. Next he gently spread her fingers apart and circled the tape around the middle of her hand as he measured the width of her palm before repeating himself on her other hand while making sure to write everything down. “All right I'll get that order form in after we're done here. Now I want to see what range of motion you have with your arms.”

  
  


Lucio took a few steps back to give Hana some room and he folded his arms as he watched her. Hana felt some goosebumps on her arms and she felt her stomach growing a little warmer beneath the intentness of those dark eyes. He was only looking at her to see the problems she had with her shoulders but it still felt like she was putting herself on display somehow. The strange part was that it didn't really bother her for whatever reason.

  
  


Hana swung her arms from side to side and all around while keeping them below the plane of her shoulders as she tried to showcase what she was capable of at the moment. It wasn't until she tried to raise her hands above her head that discomfort manifested itself, that dull ache warning her not to go any further or pain would be arriving. “Right here is where it starts to hurt.” explained Hana as she held her hands in place long enough for him to see before yielding to the ache.

  
  


“Well that looks like a rotator cuff problem to me. I'm not sure why Doctor Kwun didn't see that himself to be honest. I would recommend getting an MRI to make sure there isn't a tear but there's still some stuff we can do today.”

  
  


Lucio set the clipboard aside and turned to face Hana as he demonstrated the first exercise. “This is a pretty basic exercise. Let's start with your right arm. Press it against your side like this then raise it up about forty-five degrees and hold it for a five count before lowering it back down.”

  
  


Hana started to lift her arm as instructed but Lucio shook his head moving forward. “My bad, my bad. You need to have your arm thirty degrees in front of you when you do this, I forgot to mention it.” He put one hand on her wrist and pulled it forward towards her. “Right there. So let's try seven more reps before doing eight with the other arm.”

  
  


“This doesn't feel like it's doing anything.” pointed out Hana once she had finished.

  
  


“Maybe not, but we can always add weight later. For now I just want you to learn the exercises and I want to see how you fare when using your shoulder muscles.” explained Lucio. “Next one is going to need a resistance band.” He grabbed one off of the shelf and tied one end to the handlebars of the treadmill. “Take this end here. Pin your elbow to your rib cage and keep your wrist straight then just pull your hand towards your stomach.”

  
  


Hana grimaced as she tried to follow his instructions but the hardest part wasn't moving the band. It was keeping her fingers tight enough to maintain her grip on the band. As soon as she started to pull the rubber started fighting back, seeking to release itself from her grasp and after her fourth attempt it succeeded. Hana glared at the band for a few seconds before shaking her head. “I don't think I can hang onto that. Anything else you can suggest?”

  
  


Lucio rubbed at his chin. “Well I don't want to suggest anything too strenuous without knowing if there's a tear or not. Most of the other exercises I can think of would involve a band or be harder than the ones you just did. The only other thing that comes to mind would be a massage but there's a lot of debate whether or not that helps people with shoulder pain or carpal tunnel. Some doctors say it does but others say there aren't any good studies out there. You're the patient though so this one is up to you.”

  
  


A massage. Hana gave the massage table a long look before returning her attention to the person whose fingers would be touching her flesh in this scenario. “What about you? What do you think?”

  
  


“I think it can be an okay supplement to other practices but not as a replacement for them. If I was in your shoes then I would go for a massage before resorting to surgery since it wouldn't cost anything to try.”

  
  


Hana drummed her fingers on her arm before making up her mind and heading for the massage table. She turned around and pushed herself up with her hands so she could seat herself on it. Lucio walked up to the other side of the bed with what suspiciously looked like red cheeks and started to reach towards her but paused in midair. “Do you want me to start with your shoulders or your hands?”

  
  


“Hands I guess. We can save the best part for last.” replied Hana, more than a little teasing in her smile. Lucio glanced down at the floor and muttered something that sounded vaguely like ‘okay’ before he took one of her hands in his.

  
  


He may have been clumsy earlier but there was no sign of that oafishness now. Lucio’s hands were surprisingly deft as a matter of fact. As his fingers gradually kneaded their way around her fingers and digits she felt something rather unusual in their wake. It wasn't even something really, it was... nothing. Her fingers had been sore for so long that she had forgotten what it was like for them not to ache all the time even when she had been taking painkillers. “So… what brings you all the way to Seoul?” asked Hana as he kept at it.

  
  


Lucio’s fingers slowed as he looked up from her hand. “What?”

  
  


“I’m curious. How does someone from Brazil end up working as a physical therapist in Seoul?”

  
  


“It’s kinda a long story. The short version is that I wanted to see something other than Brazil. I got accepted to a university so here I am.” explained Lucio as he moved on to her other hand.

  
  


“But that doesn’t really answer the question.” Hana complained, unsatisfied with his response. “That doesn’t explain why South Korea or how you ended up working as a physical therapist.”

 

Lucio didn't respond to the question, instead choosing to focus on her second hand for a bit longer before setting it down. “Now this is where this gets tricky. That's a nice sweater and all but it's in the way. Are you wearing anything under it? I don't want to make you uncomfortable by showing me your shoulders or... other parts.” Lucio turned his head and buried his mouth in an elbow, using the pretense of a cough as a means to hide his face.

 

Hana giggled at his reaction though she couldn't help but feel a little touched by his attempt to respect her county's taboos. “Aww you're so cute! That shoulder stuff is dumb. They're _shoulders_.” She hopped off the table and bent at the waist as she started trying to squirm her way out of the sweater while keeping her arms from raising above her shoulders. It took Hana a minute but she was able to get it off though not without her blue undershirt getting hiked up her back. Lucio gulped and spun around the second he caught a glimpse of white straps, mentally chastising himself for not turning around sooner. “Okay, I'm ready.”

 

Lucio turned back around to see Hana was lying face down on the massage turn, her hands resting by her waist. He moved up to the table's head and started to put his hands on her shoulder then he saw it. Hana's elbows were tucked close to her sides but there was enough of a gap for him to see how the crooks of her elbows were discolored along with those track marks of hers. “Well?” demanded Hana, impatient for him to get started.

 

“Right sorry.” mumbled Lucio as he got on with what he was doing and moved his hands into position. The fingers of one hand leisurely compressed and released their grip on the outside of her shoulder while the fingertips on his other hand stiffly pressed inwards all around her shoulder blade.

 

As his hands and fingers continued their work Hana felt her breathing beginning to deepen and she was starting to grow a little drowsy. Hana shook her head to break up the stupor as she rebuked herself mentally. She wasn't at a day spa and Lucio wasn't a masseuse. This might feel really good but it was still therapy. And then it stopped. “You're done already?” groused Hana.

 

“Already? I've been working on your shoulders for half an hour.” explained Lucio. “I'd keep going but we're out of time and I have another patient coming in five minutes. We have another appointment in a week though.” He held her sweater out to her which she took after reluctantly sitting up.

 

Hana got off the table and bent over again as she pulled the sweater back on. Once her head popped out of the fabric she gave Lucio the straightest, most serious look she could muster. “Maybe next time you'll do my thighs too.”

 

Lucio's mouth formed a circle as he tried to process what she had just said but nothing came out except a tiny squeaking sound. Then as Hana was leaving the room with a cheeky grin on her face a single word filled the room.

 

“WHAT!?”

 


	4. Chapter 4

****

It was a strange sensation, being free to do whatever she wanted. Hana was about as far from being a soldier as you could get but she still had something in common with the members of her country's military. Regimen. Wake up at a certain time every morning, eat breakfast, cardio exercise, shower then to her computer for morning practice. Eat lunch then it was time for reviewing matches and talking strategy with the coaches before moving on to a second practice session. Eat dinner, then watch some shows or a movie before heading to bed only to repeat it the following day and the one after that. It was rather mindless in a way, living life by the clock each and every day but it was a routine she had long since become accustomed to over the last few years.

 

But now that routine was over. There was no alarm clock going off in the morning, no meals with the coaches, no practice or any of the routine she could have sleepwalked through. Now she had nothing but time to do anything she wanted... except that she genuinely didn't have the slightest idea what to actually do with all the time now available to her. In the end the sheer abundance of choice had been almost paralyzing and she had done nothing but marathon TV shows and movies for the last week. She still made sure to practice the exercises that Lucio had shown her as the days rolled by however.

 

Inevitably though the time of her next appointment drew closer and Hana faced the misfortune of having to put on a pair of pants before emerging from her cave of an apartment. The receptionist waved her through with a smile and Hana was back in the same room as before while waiting for the Brazilian transplant.

 

A couple of minutes later and he had arrived, shutting the door behind him. Lucio was wearing a black polo shirt this time but it looked like he was wearing the same pair of baggy khaki's or an identical pair at the very least. There was a small cardboard box in his hands but he set it aside before looking at her. “Sooo... I wanted to ask you about what you said last week. What even was that supposed to be? Were you hitting on me? Cause I'm your therapist and that's just...”

 

“Just what? Too much awesome for you to handle?” Hana flexed a bicep at him, the fact that she didn't have much muscle there to begin with making it rather less than intimidating.

 

“I was going to say weird but I honestly don't know. I'm not a doctor you know but the whole doctor-client thing kinda still applies to me.”

 

That caught Hana's attention and she furrowed her brow at him. “Wait you're _not_ a doctor? Then what are you doing in here? Why didn't I get a doctor assigned to me? What kind of place is this!?” She finished with a shout that people across the hall could probably hear.

 

Lucio put his hands up, palms out towards Hana as he tried to ward off the sudden burst of anger. “You were. Sorta. The doc looked at your file when it was sent to us and he wrote down what he thought the problems might be then gave it to me. All the stuff I did last week was his idea. He's the brains, I'm just one of the people here who helps gets stuff done.”

 

“Do you have _any_ medical training or are you just some random guy they hired off the street?” Hana was still peeved but there was a certain... earnestness to his explanation making it difficult to be mad at _him_.

 

“My minor is in physical therapy. I'm not smart enough to be a doctor but I know enough to be an assistant which means I can help you with your hands and shoulders.”

 

“So does that make you my knight in shining armor?” Hana batted her eyes and pretended to swoon. “Heal my body oh sir knight!”

 

A silence only surpassed by the cold vacuum of space filled the room as Lucio blinked at her several times before covering his face with his hands. “Oh my god. Please stop, you're killing me over here.”  
  
“Too much?” asked Hana.

 

“Way too much.” Lucio lowered his hands and shuddered at the unspeakably vile scene he had just beheld. “Look, I don't mind if you tease me or flirt a little but please, please, please don't ham it up so much all right?”  
  


“Okay, I'll lay off a bit mister dark and handsome.”

 

“Dark? Because I'm... wait no isn't the saying tall dark and handsome? You forgot the first word.” pointed out Lucio.

 

“I don't know if I _can_ call you tall though since we're pretty much the same height. How tall are you?”

 

“...one hundred and sixty centimeters.”

 

Hana grinned in triumph. “Hah! I'm a hundred and sixty four which makes you the short one!”

 

“You win, you win. I'm the short, dark and handsome one I guess.” Lucio headed for the shelf to grab a pair of green rubber dumbbells and held them out to Hana. “So each of these weigh a kilogram. It's not much but we're going to be starting light. I want you to hold your arms straight out to your sides with one in each hand for as long as you can.”

 

Hana started to reach out for the weights but a light bulb went off in her head and she undid the zipper on the jacket she was wearing, taking it off before they got started. As she set it aside the fact that her elbows were plainly visible to Lucio dawned on her... but he didn't say anything though he clearly must have noticed.

 

After that it was one exercise after the other, alternating between working on her wrists and shoulders. Nothing strenuous but Lucio wasn't giving her much downtime between them and he seemed determined to keep her focused on what they were doing. Once Lucio had decided they had done enough Hana started to head for the massage table but Lucio stopped her short. “Hang on, I forgot something.”

 

Lucio headed back over to that box he had been carrying when he had first walked in and picked it up. “So these are for you.” Inside was a pair of what looked like a fingerless glove made of cloth and velcro straps. “Wearing these while you sleep is supposed to help take pressure off your median nerve so... I guess make sure these fit.”

 

Hana took one of the splints and slid her hand into it before fastening the straps so that it was snug against her skin. “Looks like a pretty good fit.” She hesitated for a few seconds before forcing an unfamiliar word out. “Thanks Lucio.”

 

“No problem.” He patted the massage table twice with one hand. “Let's get started.”

 

She undid the splint, setting it back in the box on the ground and clambered up onto the table, lying face down. A pair of hands descended onto the center of her back, the palms pressing themselves flat against the tanktop she was wearing. The heels of his hands pushed downwards into her skin as they glided up then back down to the small of her back and steadily spread outwards towards her arms on each side. Once Lucio reached her sides he let up on the pressure but kept his hands on her as he returned his hands back to her spine then up towards her neck.

 

Hana curled her toes as those fingers started squeezing and pressing into the flesh all about her collarbone. “Oooh, that feels really good. You didn't do that last time.”

 

“Well I had a feeling you wouldn't mind. I don't feel comfortable massaging your thighs but right here is a really good spot and it's close enough to your shoulders that it probably still kinda helps.” explained Lucio as he continued working his thumbs along the base of her neck.

 

“Oh I'm sure, you just wanted to get your hands on me again didn't you?” teased Hana, though she certainly wasn't complaining about what he was doing to her.

 

Lucio glanced around the room for a moment then towards the door which was still shut before answering. “I probably shouldn't be admitting this but yeah, being able to give a beautiful woman a massage is definitely a nice perk.” He snuck a peek down at his pants but thankfully there wasn't a tent there.

 

“You know I actually have a question for you Hana. I know you practice a lot but do you ever coach people at all?” asked Lucio, his fingers keeping to the same pace as he spoke.

 

“At Starcraft? Not really... I go over my own games with the coaches. Sometimes they ask me to help analyze a teammate's game or replay but that's not very common. Why do you ask?”

 

“Wellllllll.” began Lucio. “I actually play Starcraft a little myself. It's fun but I've been trying to get into silver for a couple of seasons and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I don't expect you to say yes but I figured I'd ask if you might watch me play a game or two and give me some tips.”

 

Trying to get into silver. That meant he was in bronze, the lowest rank of people who played the game. Bronze, silver, gold, platinum, diamond, master, grandmaster and then the professional scene. She was technically still the top ranked player in the world and he was all the way down at the bottom. The chasm between them was so vast that her immediate reaction was to say no but then those fingers hit just the right spot. “Ohhhh I get it, that's why you're massaging my neck. You're trying to butter me up. Well it's working! Go get a piece of paper, I'll give you my address. Bring your computer by and I'll give you some advice. You just gotta promise to keep giving me massages like these. And one more thing. Do. Not. Tell. Anyone. About. This.”

 

***

 

A knock came from the door to Hana's apartment and she hurried over to unlock it but not without checking the peephole first. Lucio was standing on the other side with what looked like a laptop bag underneath one arm. He was wearing the same pants as earlier that day but he had changed into a plain red tee shirt.

 

Hana undid the lock on the door and pulled it open. “Come on in.” She shut the door behind Lucio and waved aimlessly at the counter. “There's some chips and stuff there if you want something to snack on. I got a table over there you can put your laptop on.” Hana pulled on the fridge's handle. “Need anything to drink?”

 

“Sure.” replied Lucio as he headed towards the table Hana had pointed out to him. Hana reached inside to grab a pair of sodas before shutting the fridge. At the same time Lucio was pulling his laptop out along with a wireless mouse similar to the one that Seo had inflicted upon Hana.

 

Her cheek twitched at the sight of Lucio's mouse. “Okay... I'd suggest buying a better mouse than that. And where's your mouse pad?”

 

Lucio pulled out a small cheap looking oval shaped pad with a raised gel mound at its base. “Right here and what's wrong with my mouse?”

 

“It's _wireless_.” whispered a horrified Hana, the word itself tasting like poison as she uttered it. “You can buy a nice gaming mouse with a cord for forty thousand won. And what kind of pad are you using? That thing is tiny!”

 

“Yeah but it's ergonomic. I just turn my sensitivity up higher so it's not a problem.”

 

Hana tried not to grind her teeth together as she sat down next to Lucio at the table. “Okay, here's your soda.”

 

Lucio took it with one hand and popped the lid before setting it down next to his laptop. Hana looked at the now open soda then at the expensive electronic device next to it while chewing on her lip. As soon as Lucio started typing his password in she grabbed the can and slid it away from the the computer. “What's the wifi password?” asked Lucio.

 

“Kerrigan.” Lucio typed the password in and a small window popped up telling them that he was connected to her wifi. A few seconds later and Lucio was going through the menu screen as he started setting a game up for himself. “Wait, what are you doing? You're playing against a bot? I thought you were gonna play a person.”

 

“Do you want me to? I didn't think it would make a difference.” He backed out of the menu and queued into a game. While they waited for an opponent to be found Hana got up and headed back to the kitchen to grab a bag of chips before returning.

 

By the time she sat down again the game was just beginning. Almost right off the bat she found something to nitpick. “That split wasn't very good.”

 

“Split?”

 

“Yeah, sending your first workers to go mine. You sent them to the wrong patches. These four - “ She pointed at the blue crystals on the screen. “mine faster than the one you clicked on. Too late now though. What build order are you using?” Lucio just blinked at her, not understanding. “Your build order! What strategy are you doing? Early rax into marine pressure? Sixteen CC? Early gas so you can get tanks out faster?”

 

“I'm not sure. I guess marines...?” he said, as if asking for permission.

 

“Well don't just stare at me! Build your rax, you got enough minerals for two already. And you need more SCV's. You want around sixteen SCV's on each mineral line and three per geyser .”

 

Lucio cringed as if she was hitting him or something and he turned back towards the computer, clicking on the control icons at the bottom of the screen instead of using hotkeys. Hana sighed inwardly as she tried to back up a bit. “Okay let me ask you something else? Why are you playing Terran? Do you like stutter stepping?”

 

“Stutter stepping? I don't know what that is. I play Terran because they got the best beats.”

 

“What.” Hana's voice was as flat as it could possibly be.

 

“It's the music. Protoss songs have this whole ethereal orchestral thing going on, it's sorta neat but kinda weird at the same time. Zerg got these cool drums going on but the rest of it always makes me uncomfortable for some reason. Plus all the units sound like they're puking and stuff which is gross. But Terran has these really sick guitar riffs, I never get tired of listening to them.”

 

His mouse and pad were trash, he wasn't using hotkeys, he didn't know what a build order was, and he picked his race because of the music. Hana pressed her fingertips into her temple trying to ward off the headache that this lesson was giving her. “All right forget everything I mentioned earlier. That doesn't matter right now. Here's what I want you to do. Send an SCV here, here and here.” She pointed at the three other player spawning locations on the mini-map.

 

“While you're doing that I want you to keep building units. Once you find the other player you attack. Don't even worry about micro, unit comp, timings or anything else. Just find your opponent then make units and 1A him until one of you loses.”

 

“That doesn't seem like much of a strategy.” pointed out Lucio.

 

“It's not, but you can't run until you can walk and right now you're barely crawling.” said Dva, though as kindly as she was able to do given how this lesson had played out so far. “When you get better I can give you more constructive advice but for now just make units and attack.”

 

Lucio started clicking on the screen again as he tried to follow her advice. As she watched her fingers itched to snatch the mouse away from him so she could do it herself. This wasn't the same as being able to play herself but coaching someone like this was the closest she could get to the team house environment she had so recently been evicted from.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Hana set her plate down in the sink, only a few scraps of the egg sandwich she had eaten for breakfast remaining. Cleaning it right now would be the responsible thing to do but honestly she simply didn't feel like it plus she needed to have left five minutes ago. She grabbed the key to her car and headed out the door, pulling a jacket on over her sweater as she hurried through the hallway.

 

It had been two weeks since her second session with Lucio. Another two workouts plus massages, four more coaching sessions and a substantial amount of watching TV shows online. But today she wasn't headed back to the physical therapy clinic, her appointment was somewhere else.

 

The hospital that the MRI center was in stood high above the surrounding buildings, a towering block of glass windows with the internationally recognizable symbol of a cross affixed near its apex. Inside the building just beyond the glass doorways was the directory of all the suites in this place. Hana skimmed through it until she had found the office she was bound for.

 

After she had checked herself in at the office's front desk a male technician came out to escort her from the waiting room. As they walked down another hallway she could see the MRI machine through an open door, a giant white plastic bagel with a table that vaguely reminded her of a tongue protruding out from the hole in its middle. Before they got there though the tech stopped and turned around to face her while gesturing at another doorway.

 

“So this is our changing room, there'll be a gown in there for you to wear. If you're wearing any jewelry or piercings then you'll need to remove them now.” He handed her a clipboard with a checklist of items on it. “Go through this list and let us know if you have any of the items on it.”

 

Pacemaker, kidney disease, was Hana pregnant or breastfeeding? She ticked no next to each of them with the pen attached to the clipboard via coiled plastic cord. Vascular stent, heart valve replacement, brain surgery clips... “Breast expander?” she asked while raising an eyebrow at the technician.

 

He shrugged slightly. “If it causes problems with an MRI machine then it's on that list.” Hana ran her finger down the page as she looked each item over in turn before eventually marking no next to all of them. She handed it back to him and started to turn around but he put up one hand as he pulled out a small flashlight with the other. “Hang on... one... second.” She tried not to blink but the light shining into her eyes made that rather difficult to accomplish. “Okay, no metal in your eyes that I can see so you should be fine.”

 

Hana stepped into the room and shut the door behind her before beginning to disrobe. There was a plastic bag for her clothes and pair of slippers waiting on the floor for her. She stuffed everything but her underwear into it before grabbing the dressing gown. The gown had clearly been meant for a bigger person, likely the technician had grabbed the wrong size, but the fact it was oversized meant the sleeves covered her elbows. Hana stepped into the slippers before leaving the changing room and making her way to where the MRI machine was waiting.

 

The technician was already there, standing by the sliding table with a tiny plastic bag. He handed to it her, a pair of foam ear plugs. “The machine is fairly noisy so we hand these out to people beforehand. Once you're ready just lay down on the table and try to keep still during the procedure. If you move around then it'll ruin the image and we'll have to start over.”

 

She rolled the foam between her fingers squishing the plugs before sticking one in each ear where they expanded outwards to mute the outside world. Hana lay down on the table and after a few seconds it began to raise upwards then retract inwards until her body was inside the device. A moment later and she could faintly hear a muffled knocking sound from the machine as its magnets sketched a picture of the flesh and bone that lay beneath the skin of her arms and shoulders.

 

Half an hour later and the table was sliding back out, her magnetic photography session finished. As she was getting off the table the technician came back out from the little office that he operated the machine from. “So I just emailed the images to the lab and you should have an answer sometime tomorrow. Do you need me to escort you out Miss Song?”

 

Hana shook her head. “No, I know the way.” Five minutes later and she was back in her junker heading back to her apartment.

 

***

 

“Okay, I still don't get how this works.” stated Lucio. “Explain it to me again.”  
  


“It's all about the timing. When you tell the marines to attack the shooting animation lasts for a certain length of time. Once it's done they can do something else. So when you're trying to stutter-step you tell them to move while they're attacking. That queues up the move action to trigger immediately after they shoot once. Attack then move, attack then move.”

 

“And you can do this with any ranged unit?”

 

“You can but it's better to do it with units that don't shoot quickly. Take hydras for example. You could stutter-step them but you're better off just a-moving and targeting specific units during a battle. Anyways keep doing the practice map until you can beat it.”

 

Lucio turned back towards his screen as he loaded up the map in question, an unremarkable field of grass with a group of blue marines at the very center. A swarm of purple zerglings rushed out of the fog of war, intent on killing his virtual army. Intermittent bursts of machine gun fire started coming from his laptops speakers as his units haltingly marched across the screen in response to the movements of his corded mouse over a large black cloth pad.

 

Hana watched him try to micro in silence, the urge to shove him out of the way and do it herself not quite as strong as it had been during prior sessions. Still there though. Her phone vibrated in her pocket as an incoming call came in and she rose to her feet, heading for the kitchen before answering.

 

“Yes...yes... Is that really necessary? I've been wearing wrist splints at night and I've been doing exercises every... yes I know but that was supposed to be a last resort and it's only been a month... I don't know what that means... there's no other option?”

 

He could only hear half of the conversation but that was enough for him to guess at what the other person was saying. Lucio set his mouse aside, the practice map immediately forgotten as he got up and moved towards the kitchen. “Everything all right Hana?”

 

Her phone went flying across the room as she turned on the Brazilian. “No! Everything isn't fucking all right!” She screamed at him while her eyes started leaking. “You said you were going to fix me! That's why I came to you! You were supposed to make this go away! I trusted you damn it! Thanks for nothing!” Hana sank to the floor as she buried her head in her arms. Lucio crouched down next to her and tried to put a hand on her shoulder but she batted it aside and turned so she was looking away from him. “Leave me alone.”

 

“Hana what did they say?”

 

“The doctor said my injuries were too severe physical therapy to work. They saw signs of severe RSI damage in my elbows and shoulders plus my carpal tunnel is really bad. The only thing they can do is to...” The last word got stuck in her throat, not wanting to be spoken but Hana swallowed and forced it out anyways. “... operate.”

 

Lucio scratched at one of his cornrows as he tried to understand what was upsetting her so much. “Isn't that a good thing? It means you're getting the treatment you need.”

 

“It means I'm finished.” Hana held her arms up in front of her as she stared at the limbs that had betrayed her. “Wrists, elbows, shoulders. They have to operate on all of them. It'll take months to recover from surgery and my arms will never be the same again. This is the end of my career.” Hana buried her face back into her forearms and her body started to shake. “I'm ruined.”

 

“Hey, hey, hey. Don't be like that.” Lucio put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him. “Sure you might need some surgery but modern medicine is pretty good and who knows? You could recover fully and go back to crushing people again at Starcraft in no time.”

 

“Oh don't you dare try to feed me a bunch of peppy bullshit. I won't be able to ever play competitively again because of this. Do you have any idea what's that like? To know you can't do the thing you love because your body can't keep up anymore?”

 

Lucio closed his eyes for a moment letting the anger in her voice roll off him and he took a deep breath. “I want to show you something.” He put a hand on the floor, using it to push himself up and waited for Hana to raise her head and look at him. Lucio leaned forward at the waist and bent his knees as he reached down to grab the fabric of each pant leg in a fist. He straightened up somewhat while pulling the fabric up to show what was underneath.

 

Where the man's calves and ankles should have been was something else altogether. Amalgamations of black carbon fiber and shining aluminum all the way up to where they tightly cupped his thighs in their embrace. Hana's eyes widened and the shock of seeing those prosthetic limbs caused up the tears she had been weeping to cease flowing. “What...”

 

“I've seen you compete in international tournaments before but they were all in places like America or Sweden or China. I really, really don't want to sound harsh but you've been sheltered your entire life. You get paid to play video games. I think it's awesome that's a thing but it means you haven't seen the ugly side of this world. Not everywhere is like Seoul.” Lucio let his pants drop back down hiding his artificial legs beneath them as he sat back down and stared out the window overlooking the city.

 

“I was born and raised outside Rio de Janerio in a favela. It's sorta tricky to translate what that means, most people would say slum or shanty town but that's not right. I've seen the places poor people in Seoul live in and they're all better than what I knew. My home was 'built' from rotting pieces of plywood and the roof was made of rusted tin sheets stacked on top of each other.” Lucio turned his head to look back at Hana. “We had a dirt floor because we couldn't afford to buy any rugs and I never knew what carpet felt like until I was at the airport in Rio on my way to Korea.”

 

“How did...” Hana couldn't even finish the sentence.

 

“I lose my legs? The favela I lived in was one of the worst in Rio. It's been over a decade since I left and the police still don't go there.” Lucio closed his eyes as he involuntarily drifted back to the streets where he had grown up. Hearing gunshots at all hours of the day, seeing people openly brandishing pistols or automatic weapons while eating lunch, that one time he had found a body in the dumpster in the alleyway behind his house.

 

“I never joined a gang or did drugs but I had friends that had. Everyone did, that's just the way it was. One of them crossed the wrong gang and it didn't matter that I was a civilian, that I wasn't involved in his gang. Just the fact that I was his friend was enough. I don't really remember what happened. We were hanging out at his place and then someone started shooting through the wall. I heard the door open and the next thing I woke up I was in some hospital minus parts of my leg.” Lucio glanced down at his pants for a moment. “After that the doctors told me about an experimental prosthetic limbs project. One thing led to another and now me and my parents live here.”

 

The cessation of her tears had only been temporary as they made their less than glorious return halfway through his narration of his past. Hana uncurled herself from a ball and threw herself onto Lucio's lap as she wrapped her arms around him. “Oh my god, I'm such an idiot. I had no idea. I'm so sorry, I'm sorry I'm so dumb. I never would have said anything if I had known. Please don't hate me.”

 

Lucio dropped his head onto her shoulder as he returned the embrace twofold. “It's cool, it's cool. You didn't know because I hadn't told you. It's not something I like to talk about, people always treat me differently once they know.”

 

Hana half laughed, half sobbed as she pulled back a little and ruffled his hair with one hand. “I guess that means I gotta keep flirting with you doesn't it?”

 

“Oh? I thought it meant you were trying to teach me how to be a scrub whose stuck in silver instead of a scrub who's stuck in bronze.”

 

“What? I can't do both?” Hana moved her hand to the back of Lucio's head while her other rubbed at his back.

 

“Hana, you can do whatever you want. You know that right?”

 

She sighed and shook her head in disagreement. “Can I? I dropped out of school and never went to secondary because Starcraft. Now I'm too old to go back and there isn't a university in the country that'll look at me twice.”

 

“I wouldn't say that. I didn't know how to read until I got to Korea and and I got into a university. If I can do that then you can manage. And I'll help you however I can.”

 

“What?” Hana looked at Lucio surprised at his offer. “You'd do that?”

 

“Well yeah, what are friends for?” asked Lucio, a cheerful grin on his face.

 

“Just friends?”

 

Lucio just shook his head in mock disbelief. “Already? You're awful.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

“The other doctors and I have been discussing how best to go about your operations Miss Song.” said the surgeon Hana had been referred to. “Patients who need a bilateral surgery happens from time to time but I haven't encountered a case like yours before.” He glanced at the computer screen covered in the black and white images of her MRI. “I've seen people with similar injuries to yours but never all of them at once. This might sound strange but I'm actually somewhat excited to have you as a patient.”

 

“Well great. Good to know someone is happy I'm all busted up.” Hana's lips twisted sourly as she somehow failed to share the doctor's enthusiasm at her predicament.

 

The surgeon was quick to backpedal as he started waving his hands in the air. “No, no, no that came out wrong. I'm not happy that you're hurt, far from it. It's just that your particular case is a challenge the likes of which I haven't seen before.” He cleared his throat before continuing. “Normally in a case like this we'd do one arm, rehab it then do the other arm afterwards but there have been some new surgical procedures that will allow us to do it faster than before. Operating on all of the impact joints in a single session will be rougher on you but in this particular case it'd allow you to resume prior activities faster if everything goes according to plan. Another thing to take into consideration is that you'll have extremely limited use of your arms and hands afterwards. It's possible you won't be able to feed yourself or... ah how to put it... perform certain hygiene related functions. Do you have any friends or family members you can ask to keep an eye on you?”

 

Hana squeezed her eyes shut and dry heaved involuntarily when she realized what he meant. Someone who would be willing to help Hana take a shower or use toilet paper when she needed it. Not to mention when her period started, that would be a lot of fun. Then there was the less disgusting stuff, cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry, even something as simple as opening her mail would be beyond her for a time. And then there was something as basic as feeding herself, she might not even be able to do that. “I think so... I'd have to ask around but it shouldn't be a problem.”

 

At least she hoped it wouldn't.

 

“Very well then. For this procedure I recommend general anesthesia since the surgery will take a few hours to finish. You'll be unconscious during the operation and we'll wake you up afterwards. Odds are that it'll take you some time to fully wake up and you'll be out of it in the meantime. Once you're able to demonstrate that you're mentally fit we'll discharge you and you can go home.” The doctor typed on his keyboard for a bit and a different window came up on the monitor. “Your file doesn't mention allergies to any medication... one of our other patients had to reschedule their operation so we have an opening in three days if that works for you.”

 

“Sure.” replied a reluctant Hana. Three days until she went under the knife. Three days until her ability to play professionally was permanently taken from her. “What time?”

 

***

 

Hana's fingers tapped all over her phone as she wrote out a text message to her coach Seo. _'Hey, Hana here. So I talked to the doc this morning. He said they can operate in three days but I'm gonna need someone to help me out with stuff. I guess my arms are gonna be stuck in slings or something like that so I sorta won't be able to do stuff with them. Any chance you can drop by and help out when you have some free time?'_

 

A few minutes later and Seo's reply came through. _'I'm kinda busy since we're fighting to stay in playoff position but I can spare a couple of hours each day.'_ An ellipsis appeared on the phone and then a second text showed up. _'I know you won't want to hear it but you might consider asking your mother to come to Seoul and help you.'_

 

Her fingers tightened their grip and the phone started shaking as Hana's hands quivered from a barely controlled fury. The memory of their argument over Hana's decision to leave school in order to pursue Starcraft as a career continued to burn as brightly as ever on the rare occasions that she thought about it. Hana's mother was still listed as a contact on her phone but it had been over four years since the elder Song's name had appeared on a new text message or phone call. She stared at the phone for a minute before flipping to a different contact and composing a message much like the one she had sent to Seo.

 

The response wasn't as fast as Seo's but it wasn't too long before Lucio's response showed up. _'Say what?You want_ me _to help take care of you after your surgery? Not trying to be rude but don't ya have family or something that can do it?'_

 

 _'Is that a no you can't do it or a you don't wanna do it?'_ replied Hana.

 

_'It's more of a I'm surprised you're asking me. We're friends and all but we haven't known each other for very long. I woulda thought you'd get a family member to help you.'_

 

_'Well I don't have any siblings and I'm not on speaking terms with my parents. I asked one of my coaches for help but they're busier than normal since Proleague playoffs are coming up and all. I kinda don't really know anyone else outside of the team besides you'_

 

_'Oh that's flattering. You're only asking me because you literally don't have anyone else...'_

 

_'What?'No.'_

 

_'No.'_

 

_'No.'_

 

_'No.'_

 

_'Sorta. This is coming out wrong. Yes I don't have a lot of options but I'd still be asking you even if I did. I need your help Lucio. Please...”_

 

After that message went out a long silence elapsed as she nervously waited for a response. After what felt like an hour, but only ten minutes or so in actuality, the ellipsis signifying an incoming response appeared. _'I'll do it but I gotta talk to my boss first to make sure he okays it. I have a few other patients who I'd have to hand off to the other therapists if I was gonna do the whole in-house thing.'_

 

 _'In-house thing?'_ asked Hana, her eyebrow raising even though he was in an entirely different building kilometers away from her present location.

 

_'Well yeah. Oh right I haven't explained this to you. I've finished all the coursework for my physical therapy degree but I have to complete a certain number of hours before I'm licensed. I've been doing that here but this clinic also offers in-house service if a patient needs it. So if my boss okays it then I could come help you out while still getting my hours done. I'd just need you to sign a thing that lists the times I spend working with you. That cool?'_

 

_'Sure. What time do you need me to pick you up Hana?'_

 

_'Doc said procedure's supposed to be done at ten in the morning but they won't let me go until I'm awake or whatever.'_

 

_'All right, see you then babe.'_

 

The corners of her lips flickered upwards as a small smile forced its way past the gloom and doom of the upcoming surgery. Babe.

 

***

 

The fingers on Hana's left hand curled ever tighter around the cold steel of the guardrail and she took slow deep breathes as she tried to ignore what was happening to her right forearm. “All right you can relax now Miss Song, the needle's in place.”

 

Hana snuck a peek at her right limb to check for herself. The needle had been inserted and was now taped down to hold it in place. A thin plastic tube ran outwards from it up to a clear plastic bag containing some drug in liquid form. She exhaled in relief now that the act of getting stuck was over. “I really, _really_ hate needles.”

 

The nurse gave Hana a well practiced customer service smile as she peeled the paper backing off some sort of round measuring device attached to a cord. “You handled it pretty well. This here-” She wiggled the device before carefully affixing near Hana's collarbone. “-is to measure some of your vital signs. Pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate.” She held up a gray piece of plastic before putting it on Hana's index finger. “And this one will keep track of how much oxygen you're receiving. We'll move it during the surgery so that it's not in the way when we're operating on a hand in case you were wondering. Any questions?”

 

“Aren't you putting me to sleep? I still feel wide awake.” Hana pointed the obvious discrepancy to their actions.

 

“No, not yet.” said the nurse as she pulled Hana's bed out of its little nook and started wheeling her down the hall. “We'll be putting you under but not before we make sure everything is in order in the operating room.”

 

As they rolled through the hallway Hana's gaze swung from one side to the other as doctor's in white coats and nurses in blue scrubs bustled along, all intent on whatever errand they were in the middle of. The bed slowed then turned a corner as it went through a pair of double doors that only opened when her driver pressed a metal panel on the wall. One more turn and she was entering the surgical theater itself. Men and women wearing pale blue surgical smocks and white face masks stood next to carts on top of which rested trays holding various shaped instruments made of stainless steel or in some cases plastic. The only sources of illumination in the room were a pair of surgical lighting systems with dozens of led bulbs along with the dim glow of all the television screens present.

 

The nurse pushed her bed to the middle of the room where it was sitting directly underneath one of the lamps. Hana winced at the brightness and she closed her eyes to shut out the glare.

 

***

 

Hana's eyes fluttered open only to find a world that didn't want to stand still. The curtains next to her bed, the ceiling, the people walking by all swayed to and fro in a way that made her stomach want to empty itself of things that weren't there. A nurse making her way around the room to check on her patients stopped in front of Hana's nook.“Ah you're awake Miss Song. How do you feel?”

 

Her throat was dry, her head felt stuffy and there was a certain dry rattle to Hana's voice when she opened her mouth to answer the question. “Thffiiftph.” That wasn't what she had meant to say but her muscles had refused to make the proper sound so she tried again. “Thirsty.”

 

“Get her some water.”

 

A skinny metal tube pressed against her lips and a small burst of chilled water was squirted inside when she opened her mouth. Hana swished it around her mouth once then swallowed it down, the parched feeling ebbing somewhat. “Do you know where you are Miss Song?” asked the nurse.

“I'm in the hospital.”

 

“And what day is it?”

 

Hana paused for a second as she had to actively think back to what day of the week was. The date was there but this was... “It's Friday isn't it?”

 

“Very good. How many fingers am I holding up?” The nurse raised one hand, extending a few of her digits.

 

“Three.” answered Hana. The nurse lowered one of them to her palm and kept the others extended. “Two.”

 

“How is your pain level right now? Are you feeling any discomfort anywhere you shouldn't be?”

 

As she looked over Hana noticed some new additions to her outfit that hadn't been there before. Her arms were both tucked into a pair of slings and there were two wide nylon straps running from the slings up and over each shoulder. “There's a little bit of pain from my shoulders and I feel kinda nauseous.”

 

“Nausea is a common side effect of general anesthesia and it'll wear off. Your shoulders and arms are probably going to be uncomfortable for a day or two but that should pass as well. You look pretty alert to me so I don't see any problems in getting you discharged today but there's some things we'll have to go over.” explained the nurse as she grabbed some papers from a holder at the foot of Hana's bed. “These are a list of things you'll have to keep an eye out for during your recovery period as well as directions for the medications we'll be giving you. The most important thing is managing your incisions however. You'll need to clean them when you're changing your bandage every day so they don't get infected. Keep an eye out for any redness, swelling, hardness, drainage or your level of pain increasing for no reason. I'll help you get changed then the doctor will come in for a final checkup before we can discharge you.”

 

 

***

 

As Hana's wheelchair was pushed out of the hospital a certain person with corn-rows was standing there next to a car not quite as run-down as the one she had been using. “Hey you.” said Lucio with a cheerful grin.

 

The nurse pushing her wheelchair came around to the front of it and eased her arm behind Hana's back in order to lift her from the chair. Lucio opened his door before helping her sit down in it and buckle her in. Once he got in on his side Lucio turned towards her. “So how hungry are you?”

 

“I'm starving. I don't know why they said I couldn't eat before the surgery. They were operating on my arms not my stomach.” groused Hana. “Come on, let's go get some street food. I want some kogo dogs.”

 

“Kogo dogs...” repeated Lucio. “Those hot dogs covered in french fries? You want to eat that right after a surgery? Nope, not happening. Tell you what, let me head to my place first so I get some ingredients and I'll cook you some Brazilian food.”

 

Half an hour later and Hana was sipping water through a straw while Lucio was bustling around in her kitchen. “So is this authentic Brazilian food or are you replacing ingredients because you couldn't find them here?”

 

“Oh it's authentic all right.” Lucio reassured her as he mixed some liquids and salt together in a bowl. “It took me some time to find a store that sold tapioca flour but I managed. The rest of it was all easy enough to get. Biggest problem is that apartments don't come with good grills so I can't make churrasco.”

 

“Chur-what?”

 

“Churrasco. It's Brazilian barbecue. Beef, chicken, pork all fresh off the skewer.”

 

“Couldn't you buy a grill though? Getting a gas grill off the internet only takes a couple of days.”

 

Lucio's hands stopped in their tracks and his head turned towards Hana as he began sputtering, horrified at the notion. “A gas grill? _A gas grill_? No, no no no no no no no no! How could you even say that? It's not churrasco if you cook it over a gas grill. Proper churrasco is cooked over embers!”

 

Hana put her hands up to ward off his rush of words or she would have if doing so was possible for her at the moment. “Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you.”

 

“No, I'm the one who should apologize. Getting mad about food is dumb and yelling at you about it is even dumber.” His hands started moving again as he got back to cooking. “Do you think you can handle waiting an hour for me to finish?”

 

“Not a problem Lucio.” said Hana with a slight smile. “Can you put something on the TV so I have something to watch?”

 

Lucio gave his hands a quick wash before he headed over to her laptop and pulled up the last television show she had been watching. “There you go.” he said before heading back to the kitchen.

 

***

 

“So what are these called?” asked Hana as she looked at the plates he had set down on the table in front of them.

 

Lucio pointed at white balls shot through with golden veins of melted cheese. “These ones here are pão de queijo. Eggs, tapioca flour, parmesan and mozzarella cheese.” His finger moved to the other things he had made. “This is pastel. Wheat flour, more eggs and it's filled with ground beef and chopped garlic.”

 

“So uhhh guess I gotta point out the elephant in the room.” said Hana. “No hands.” She wiggled her fingers for emphasis but they barely made a dent in the fabric of the slings securing her arms.

 

“Oh! Ummm, I know. Hang on.” Lucio got up to his feet and hurried back into the kitchen before returning with a pair of chopsticks. He sat down next to her before deftly snaring one of the balls and holding it up for Hana.

 

Hana leaned forward biting a piece off and slowly chewed, savoring the taste. “Hmmmm that's pretty good. I guess your hands are good for more than just massages.” Lucio's face flushed and he didn't respond, instead opting to look away. Hana giggled for a second before falling silent as she gaze at the dark skinned man alone in her apartment with her.

 

She swallowed once then started to lean sideways towards him. Without warning Lucio shot back up to his feet. “Oh, I forgot to bring us something to drink.” Without the man there to stop her she found herself falling flat on her face and he spun around startled.

 

 _That was smooth Hana._ She thought to herself. “Oh for crying out loud. Pick me up will you?” Hana asked, her face growing more familiar with the carpet's fibers than she was comfortable with. Lucio dropped back to his knees and carefully guided his arms around her as he lifted her back up into a sitting position before starting to let go but she shook her head. “I want to say thank you. Thanks for agreeing to help me out, picking me up, cooking me dinner. You're awesome.”

 

Hana leaned in again, the only things holding her up were the Brazilian's arms, and pressed her lips against his. Her heart beat against her chest as she waited for him to react and after a nerve wracking moment his arms gently squeezed her as he returned the action tenfold, the meal forgotten.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Lucio paused in the doorway as he took in the sight ahead of him. Hana was sprawled out on the bed, her hair in disarray and eyes closed as she snored. After a minute of silent admiration he moved forward and tugged on an ankle poking out over the corner of the bed. “Time to wake up.”

  
  


“Frrrttthhh go away.” mumbled a sleepy Hana as she wiggled her foot trying to shake his hand off.

  
  


“Come on Hana, you can't stay in bed forever. Let's go.”

  
  


“Don't wanna.” she muttered while trying to burrow deeper underneath her sheet and the mound of blankets on top of it.

  
  


Lucio shook the bag in his left hand, the plastic bottles in it and their respective pills rattling as he did so. “If you stay in bed then you don't get your painkillers and your arms are gonna start hurting.”

  
  


Hana groaned and she clumsily scooted herself out from under the blankets and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “You're a real tyrant you know that right?” she said though there was no conviction or weight behind her grousing.

  
  


“Right. Total monster over here making sure you take your meds.” Lucio opened the bag and pulled two of the bottles out. “Okay you swallow two from this one for pain and one from that one to make sure your blood doesn't clot up and stuff.”

  
  


“What are the other ones?” asked Hana with a nod towards the other bottles in the bag.

  
  


Lucio held the bag up in front of his face as he took a closer look at its contents. “Those are just in case pills. Like if you start getting nauseous or constipated then you take them otherwise it's just these two. Let me go get you some water.”

  
  


As Lucio headed towards the kitchen Hana stood up, her legs swaying beneath her for a moment before she headed into her bathroom. A few seconds later and her strident voice flooded the apartment. “Lucio!”

  
  


The Brazilian's hand froze on the tap as Hana yelled at him and he dropped the cup in the sink before hurrying back to the bathroom. “Something wrong Hana?”

  
  


Hana tilted her head at the unexpected addition to her toilet she had discovered upon entering her bathroom. “What is that?”

  
  


A pair of metal hoses had been attached to the bathroom's supply of cold and hot water through T shaped adapters on one end while the other ends were screwed onto a round piece of plastic sticking out from under the toilet lid. “It's a bidet.” said Lucio.

  
  


“I can see that!” She snapped. “Why is there a bidet on my toilet? It wasn't there last night!”

  
  


“To clean your... after you go to the bathroom you know. I _do_ like you Hana, you're awesome and all that but we're not at a point where I'm willing to...” Lucio rubbed at his neck, uncomfortable with the subject. “I can turn a dial no problem but I'm not gonna do it manually.”

  
  


“Okay that makes sense.” admitted Hana. “What about when I need to change a tampon though? Is that a problem for you too?”

  
  


To his credit Lucio's face didn't change color and he opened the cabinet underneath the sink. “I took care of that last night.” He said while pulling out a small cardboard box. “I got you some pads so that'll be easier to deal with than sticking a tampon in.”

  
  


“Pads.” repeated Hana, her voice flat. “You got me pads? What, did you just run down to the store and grab the first box you saw? Pads are terrible.”

  
  


“What? No, no, no, no. I spent an hour looking it up online last night. I didn't know much about pads so I wanted to make sure I got some that are good. They aren't scented, they're thin and all the reviews say they’re really absorbent. I just hope your ISP doesn't keep track of people's search histories because mine is sorta weird now.”

  
  


Hana let out an exasperated sigh, the urge to rub at her forehead and being unable to do so irritating her even more. Arguing the matter further wouldn't accomplish anything but nettling the person she was presently reliant upon. And if Hana was being honest with herself this was a nice gesture on his part even if it wasn't what she would have preferred especially in light of the fact she presently couldn't insert a tampon on her own. “Okay, okay. I'll try it out and see how it goes. Can you give me my pills?”

  
  


“Uhh I forgot the cup, hang on.” Lucio dashed out of the room to fetch the cup he had left behind earlier before returning and filling it up. Hana washed the first pair down before swallowing the anticoagulant.

  
  


“So now what?” asked Hana. “Breakfast then TV or do you want me to coach you again?”

  
  


“Breakfast sounds good but I need to study and I got some homework to do.” replied Lucio.

  
  


Hana tilted her head a little, the answer catching her by surprise. “Homework? I thought you were done with school. That whole thing you said about working at the clinic and hours and stuff.” Lucio headed back out into the small living room of the apartment and over to where his backpack was. He pulled a textbook and folder out of it then turned to hold the textbook up where she could see from the bathroom doorway. “Fundamentals of Music Composition.” read Hana off the front of the book in question. “Huh? Music? You're a physical therapist. Is that for an elective or something?”

  
  


“Physical therapy is how I pay my bills. I like being able to help people rehab from injuries and stuff but music is what I love. Problem is music isn't exactly a consistent source of income unless you're really good and even then... so yeah physical therapy keeps me in my apartment.”

  
  


“Have you written anything I could listen to?” asked Hana.

  
  


“Nothing worth listening to.” said Lucio with a shake of his head. “I'm still learning the basics so all my stuff has just been messing around on the computer and frankly it's all terrible. I'll let you listen when I do write something though okay?”

  
  


“Sure thing. Let's eat though. There should be some rice in the fridge that I made a couple of days ago, just need to heat it up.” Hana said with a tilt of her head towards the kitchen. While Lucio made his way to the fridge Hana adjusted the position of her arms within the sling. If she left them in the same position for too long then they would start to fall asleep or suffer from poor circulation. Move them too much and both limbs would start to hurt resulting in a fine line she had to painstakingly walk every thirty minutes or so.

  
  


The sound of the apartment's front door opening caused both of their heads to turn in unison as someone entered.

  
  


Seo paused in the entryway in order to slip out of her shoes so that her feet were only wearing a pair of socks. As she came further inside a certain fact imprinted itself onto her brain causing her to freeze in her tracks. Hana was still standing in the bathroom door and out of sight. The one person she could could just happened to be a completely unfamiliar man with black skin and cornrows standing in the kitchen as he held the fridge door open. Seo's mouth opened then shut and she shoved one hand into her purse pulling out a black cylinder which she pointed straight at the stranger. “I'm not afraid to use this!”

  
  


“Whoa, whoa, whoa!. Calm down Seo!” Hana hustled across the room to plant herself between the two of them. “I told you my physical therapist would be hanging out here during the day.” She turned to the side so they could look directly at each other. “Seo, meet Lucio. Lucio, this is my Starcraft coach Seo.”

  
  


The canister of pepper spray descended until it was pointed down towards the floor as the muscles in Seo's arms slackened. “This is your physical therapist? I didn't think he would be...”

  
  


Lucio lifted an eyebrow at her and he folded his arms across his chest. “Black?”

  
  


Seo's face turned crimson when she realized the mistake she had made. “...A foreigner.” she finished lamely. “I didn't mean...”

  
  


Lucio waved it off with one hand. “It's fine. I got used to it a long time ago. I was gonna heat up some rice, you want any?”

  
  


“No thank you.” said Seo as she turned towards Hana. “Come here you.” She pulled Hana into a hug, albeit a very loose one as if she was hugging a flower with fragile leaves. “How are you doing Hana? Is there anything you need me to do while I'm here or is there something I can go get you?”

  
  


Hana affectionately bumped her forehead against Seo's arm in lieu of returning the hug. “I'm pretty good though there is one thing.” She gave a distracted Lucio a quick glance before whispering to her coach. “I could use some help turning on the shower. I'd ask him but that'd be sorta weird with how things are between us.”

  
  


Seo cast Lucio's back a look before returning her attention to Hana. “If the two of you are having problems with each other then I'm sure I could replace him without much trouble.”

  
  


“No, there's no need for that. He's a good man. I'm just not comfortable with him helping me take a shower if that makes sense. At least not right now.” Seo raised an eyebrow at that and Hana blushed. “Come on Seo, let's get this over with.”

  
  


By the time Lucio had finished heating the rice and turned back around the two women had changed into more suitable apparel for a shower and disappeared into the bathroom without him noticing. He frowned and looked around the now empty room. “Hey, where did you go Hana? The rice is ready.”

  
  


The only response was the sound of water flowing through the pipes. Lucio shrugged after a moment and pulled a spoon out of the silverware drawer so he could start eating while waiting for them to come back from wherever they had went.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Seo turned the dial to shut off the water coming from the shower faucet in the room before briefly opening the door a crack in order to grab the pair of towels hanging off its outer knob. She draped one over her shoulders while using the other to pat down the other woman's hair.

 

Hana was sitting on the toilet in a two piece swim suit and she was stiffly holding her arms in front of her in the same position that the slings would have if she had been wearing them. Her hair was still damp when Seo pulled the towel away and the rest of her was dripping water but she made no move to rise. “Seo. I've been thinking the last couple of weeks and I've realized something. You moved all my things here, you got me a car, made sure to explain how all the utilities worked. This apartment was never supposed to be temporary was it?”

 

Seo slowly shook her head and she dropped down to crouch in front of her one time protege. “No Hana it wasn't. The other coaches thought so and they'd still say so if you asked them right now but they don't know what I do. The moment I saw your arms that day I knew your career was over even if you didn't realize it yet. Even if the physical therapy had been successful I wouldn't have let you compete again. The pressure of winning had gotten to you and it pushed you to the point that you were harming yourself.”

 

She let go of the towel with one hand and brushed her fingers against the scar on Hana's elbow. “Don't get me wrong, I love Starcraft as much as you do but it's just a game. It's not worth doing _this_ to yourself. When I learned about the injections I knew I had to protect you from yourself. I figured the best way to do that was to get you as far from Starcraft as I could. Moving you out of the team house into a new apartment, replacing your car, making sure you didn't have a gaming computer. I know I isolated you but that was the point. If I got you away from gaming then maybe you'd stop being D'va and remember that you're Hana Song.”

 

Hana gradually rotated her hands as she stared at them, the incision scars on her wrists providing incontrovertible proof of what her pride had driven her to do. “I understand that now... I just don't know what to do with myself at this point. Starcraft is the only thing I know.”

 

Seo held the towel out towards Hana. “Well, we can figure something out but I'm starting to get cold. You mind if we continue this conversation outside?” Hana nodded and stood up in order to let the other woman dry her off before they changed and exited the bathroom.

 

Lucio was seated crosslegged at the table in the living room, open textbooks in front of him as he scribbled something onto a sheet of paper. Intent on his studies he didn't even seem to notice they were there and Seo tilted her head towards the kitchen. Once Hana had joined her Seo gave Lucio a long appraising look. “Soooo...” she began with a sly smile. “Tell me all the details.”

 

“Details?” stammered Hana. “What details?”

 

“Oh please, give me some credit Hana. I know you said he's your physical therapist but he's doing homework on your table and his laptop is right next to yours. Are you two dating or are you just dancing around each other right now?”

 

“We haven't been out on any actual dates but he's come over a few times. Mostly we've just watched movies or I've been coaching him at Starcraft. We did make out a little last night though.” explained Hana.

 

“Wait what? You've been... coaching him?” Seo's teasing demeanor had vanished in a heartbeat and replaced with an almost disquieting calm.

 

“It was a trade. He asked me to help him get to silver rank so I agreed to to coach him if he gave me neck massages. Mostly I've just been making him do micro practice maps and telling him to focus on his macro so it's not like what you or the other coaches do.”

 

Seo tapped her chin for a moment before going over to fetch her purse and grabbing her computer tablet. She fiddled around with it for a moment before playing up a video of a Starcraft game. “This is a game Min-Jun played in last week's Proleague match. I was watching it on the way over here. Tell me what you see.”

 

Min-Jun was one of the lower ranked Terran players on the team who had been signed out of the amateur scene six months ago. Seo pressed play then hit an arrow so that the recording was running at four times the normal gameplay speed. Hana furrowed her brow as it played all the way through, Seo moving the camera angle when necessary to ensure they both saw what was happening. After it was done Hana pursed her lips then shook her head. “Let me see the other player's opening. I didn't see what time he put his factory down... okay that's what he did.”

 

“Oh what's that Hana?”

 

“Min really likes his timing pushes. Whenever I practiced against him he would always build a group of marines and try to attack between the four and five minute mark. If he doesn't do any damage to the opponent's eco he can usually contain them then back off while expanding or teching up. The problem is that he tried to do it on this map. The natural has a really tight choke and his opponent knew the timing push was coming. He took an early gas and rushed to get tanks out. By the time Min's push arrived there were two tanks sieged up in range of that choke. Min lost half his marines and his opponent double expanded. After that it was just a matter of time until Min got overrun by a superior economy.”

 

Hana lifted her eyes from the pad to look at Seo. “Min lost that game because he was predictable. He has good micro but he needs to mix his builds up. Throw in the occasional proxy rax or bunker rush, make him practice early expand builds.”

 

As Seo started to put the pad away a thought occurred to Hana that she couldn't help but voice. “Why did you pick that video? Understanding what happened in that game was easy. If you were testing me then you should have picked a more challenging replay.”

 

“Maybe, but it's not about what you see. Any professional player can watch someone else's game and see what went wrong. Being a good coach is about being able to successfully work with your players to identify their mistakes and make sure it doesn't happen next time. In a competitive environment that can be difficult since egos can, and do, get in the way. You have good insight but you've never been the most tactful of people.”

 

Seo sighed and leaned back against the counter. “I don't want you to try and play competitively again but I don't want to just abandon you either. What you said earlier was true, Starcraft is all you know and some of that's my fault. I should have tried harder to keep you from dropping out of school but I was too excited about finding a potential bonjwa. You have plenty of money in the bank accounts we set up for you so you won't have to worry about that for a year or two. In the meantime I want to offer you a job once your rehab is done. You won't be playing at all, just watching games and writing up analysis's and scouting reports. It won't pay a lot but it'll cover your expenses until you can find something else to pursue.”

 

“Hey, what are you two talking about over there?” Lucio had finally looked up from his studying and noticed the two of them in the kitchen. “Rice is on the stove, should still be warm.”

 

Seo turned towards the oven to see a pot full of rice sitting there along with a pair of bowls and spoons waiting to be used. She filled both of the bowls and carried them over to the table before sitting down across from Lucio. “I owe you an apology Lucio. Hana told me that she wasn't alone before I came over. I knew you were in the apartment with her but when I saw you well... I assumed the wrong thing and threatened you when I shouldn't have so for that I apologize.”

 

“It's fine really.” Lucio replied while shrugging. “Honestly its happened so many times since I moved to Korea that it doesn't bother me anymore. Why bother getting upset over something I can't control?”

 

“You moved to South Korea? May I ask where you moved from and why? We have our fair share of people who stay temporarily but not many people who choose to live here. Most immigrants go somewhere else like the United States or Germany.”

 

Lucio looked down, his eyes seemingly staring at the textbook in front of him but from the angle of his eyes Hana could tell what he was really looking at. A moment passed before Hana coughed and he started. “Sorry, it's a long story and I don't really want to get into it.”

 

Hana caught her coach's eye and almost imperceptibly shook her head while mouthing the word 'no'. Seo leaned forward a bit as she took a look at what he was writing in order to change the subject. “Music composition? Do you have a specific genre you plan to write for?”

 

Lucio glanced down at the piece of paper he had been writing on. “I've only just started studying music this term. Right now I'm just learning notation. Lines, clefs, breaks and all that. Actually being able to write music will take a while.”

 

Seo finally got around to actually eating some of the rice before responding. “So you became a physical therapist before studying music? That's very practical minded of you.”

 

Lucio shrugged it off. “I know what it's like to not have money. I want to make music but I know I can't rely on that for money so I went for a degree in physical therapy first.” He turned towards Hana and picked up her spoon. “Here, let me help you with that.”

 

The conversation dwindled into silence as they all began to dig into their rice, Hana via the Brazilian's assistance. They may not have been saying anything out loud but just watching Hana and Lucio next to each other spoke volumes. Hana had always been somewhat difficult to get along with. She had a way of figuring out what other people's buttons were and how to push them. It had never been malicious but sometimes her target wasn't always laughing with her when she did it. But there wasn't any sign of that impish glee in Hana's eyes when she looked at Lucio. If anything there was a poorly concealed affection that looked almost alien when Hana was the one exhibiting it.

 

Once her bowl was empty Seo set it back down on the table and pushed herself to her feet. “Well I have to head back to the team house now. I'll come by at the same time tomorrow okay Hana?” She leaned forward, reaching across the table and mussing up Hana's hair before looking at the third person present. “It was nice meeting you Lucio. Take care of Hana for me will you?”

 

“Sure thing miss...” Lucio's voice trailed off. “I'm sorry I didn't get your full name.”

 

“There's no need for that. You can just call me Seo. Behave yourself Hana.”

 

As Seo was putting her shoes back on by the front door she caught a brief glimpse of them before leaving. Hana was lying on her back, her head resting on Lucio's leg as he continued his studies. Seo smiled to herself and quietly closed the door behind her as she left.

 


	9. Chapter 9

“So are you ready for this Hana?” asked Lucio, a grin slowly growing on his face as he teased her.

 

“YES! Stop screwing around and take it off already you jerk!” begged Hana, desperate for him to get on with it.

 

Lucio grabbed a hold of the fastener holding the separate parts together and pulled on it so that they came loose. Hana carefully pulled her arms free then Lucio lifted the straps resting on her shoulders up and over her head so that she wasn't wearing it anymore. She gingerly rubbed her hands together as Lucio tossed the amalgamation of mesh, straps and buckles that constituted her sling to the side. “How does it feel not having to wear that thing anymore?”

 

Two months. Eight weeks. Fifty-six days. Her shoulders, elbows and hands had been trapped in an immobilizer for nearly every hour of all those days and she had been practically helpless during that whole span of time. Brushing her teeth, taking a shower, even the most basic requirement of surviving that was feeding one's self had become impossible without assistance. Thankfully she had people willing to help her with all of that but now... now the sling was off. A smile blossomed on Hana's face as she pressed her fingers against each other. “It feels good... really good.”

 

She took a step closer towards Lucio, intending to kiss him but her shoulders complained as she started to put her arms around his neck and she closed her eyes as she flinched. Lucio haltingly reached towards her with one hand as she lowered her arms back to her side. “Are you okay Hana?”

 

“That kinda hurt. I don't get it. Why did that hurt? The doctors were supposed to make the pain go away. I'm gonna be really, _really_ pissed if I went through the last two months for nothing.” Hana ranted as she started to angrily pace back and forth.

 

“It's not the doctor's fault Hana. You might not have read all of the papers they gave you but I did. The surgery went fine. You've finished recovering, but now you have to start rehabbing.”

 

“Oh great, you're going to start making me exercise aren't you?” grumbled Hana. She knew he was right even if she would never admit it. Hana had been looking forward to getting the sling off and reclaiming the use of her arms, but she had been purposefully ignoring the fact that the light at the end of the tunnel was the hard part.

 

“Yes Hana, I'm going to make you exercise.” Lucio gave her a light-hearted grin before kissing her on the forehead. “And when I'm doing torturing you you'll have your arms back.”

 

Hana let out a mock sigh of exasperation and dropped her head onto his shoulder. “Finnnne let's get started then you jerk.”

 

“We'll get to weights eventually, but for now let's just stick to you getting used to moving your arms around again then we can work on your fingers.” said Lucio as he took a few steps back.

 

“What about my elbows?” asked Hana. “You didn't say anything about them.”

 

“Oh well you'll be working on those at the same time as your shoulders. When we start using weights then we can do some elbow specific exercises, but right now it's all about improving your range of motion.” explained Lucio. “Now then here's what I want to start with.” He pinned one elbow to his side and turned his wrist so that his palm was facing up then reached across his torso with his other hand and placed it palm down against his other hand. “Push up with one hand as hard as you can without making it hurt for five seconds then stop. We'll do this ten times then switch sides.”

 

Hana spread her feet apart as she mirrored his stance and the position of his arms. “Just how long is rehab supposed to last?”

 

Lucio shrugged his shoulders and shook his head a little. “Honestly I can't say for sure. It could take a few weeks before you start to feel normal again but it could easily take months. Either way I'll be here with you babe.”

 

***

 

Hana's back was flat against the floor as she pushed a pair of blue rubber dumbbells up towards the ceiling until her arms were fully extended. “Twenty-three...twenty-four...twenty-five.” Hana's arms started to quiver and she lowered the weights to the ground beside her with a weary sigh.

 

A moment later and Lucio was lying down next to her, hands held behind his head. “Soooo that was twenty-five chest presses at five kilograms plus you've been doing really good with the grip strengthener.”

 

Hana let out a deep breath and she turned to look at Lucio. “Twenty-five reps was the milestone you set when I started rehabbing. Does that mean I can get you to sign off on me?”

 

“Well the doctor's the one whose gotta sign off but yeah I'd say you've rehabbed pretty well...” He brushed his fingers against hers as he continued speaking. “... but just so we're clear your fingers are never going to be what they were. I still believe you can keep improving but competitive gaming is out of the question.” Lucio tensed up at the end of his sentence, worried that Hana might go nuclear at hearing that.

 

Much to his relief Hana just shook her head. “It's fine. I came to terms with that a while ago. I just have to figure out what to do with the rest of my life.” Hana turned on her side and put an arm across Lucio's chest. “But I don't want to worry about that right now. What I do want is a vacation... and you should come with me. We could rent a cottage on Jeju for a week or two, just the two of us.”

 

“Jeju? But that's where everyone goes so those beaches are all really crowded.” Lucio pointed out as he shuffled his feet. Left unspoken was the fact that men usually wore shorts, not pants at the beach.

 

“I know, I know. We don't have to go to the beach though. We can find a cottage further inland near Hallasan maybe.” Hana batted her eyes and wriggled her way closer so she was pressing into Lucio's side as she squeezed his torso. “Pleeeeeasse?”

 

“Okay, okay. I'll go with you but my finals are next week so we'll have to wait until after then all right?”

 

“Deal.”

 

***

 

The small resort where they ended up going was about as remote as one could reasonably get in South Korea. There were multiple units on the property nearby but all of them were separated from the others by thickets of trees and bushes broken only by narrow paths marked out by round stepping stones. The unit they had been given was much like the others. A cabin made of dark red bricks held together by white mortar not yet faded by the elements. Its roof was made of tiles and the circular windows were large enough to let in plenty of light if they cared to remove the blinds hanging inside.

 

Behind the cabin was a meticulously trimmed yard full of shrubs covered in blooming white magnolia flowers and fir trees that had been here since long before Hana or Lucio's parents had been born. Adjacent to the cabin was a stone patio complete with chairs, a glass table and a fire pit that had clearly had been well used if the blackened interior of the stone ring was any clue.

 

Hana lifted her bag from the trunk of the car and lurched towards the front door, Lucio close behind her. The interior of the cabin was closer to being like the houses that she saw in American films than the apartments she had grown up in. It had two separate bedrooms, each with a queen sized bed, a spacious kitchen with an actual dishwasher and oven plus a genuine Western style bathroom with a dedicated shower stall in it. She dropped her thing of luggage onto one of the couches in the living room and turned towards Lucio. “I know we just got here but I need to take off for a bit but I'll be back before you know it.”

 

“What? Why?” asked Lucio, question marks practically radiating from him.

 

“It's a surprise, trust me you'll love it!”

 

With a bound and a leap Hana was out the door and their rental car was heading for the road in no time. Lucio stared after for a moment before shaking his head at her sudden departure. “Okay... well guess I should unpack while she's out.”

 

Half an hour later Lucio's shirts were hanging in the closet of the room he had picked out and his pants were all sitting on the closet's shelf. As Lucio started pulling his toiletries out he saw Hana's rental car pulling up in front of the cabin and Hana herself exiting, tote bag in her arms. He dropped the travel bag his toothbrush and related items were in on the bed and headed out to the living room just as she was opening the front door. “So what did you go get?” asked Lucio, curious what was so important that she had to leave after they had literally just arrived their destination.

 

“Do you remember a conversation we had a few months back after my surgery? We were talking about Brazilian food and you mentioned that you had never been able to find a good grill to cook churrasco on.” Hana set the tote bag down on the kitchen counter and started pulling cuts of meat all wrapped in plastic. Beef, chicken, sausages, pork and a container of coarse salt. “Well as it happens we have a fire pit out back and these.” She opened a drawer and pulled out several thin metal skewers. “Feel like giving me a hand? Mine are kinda clumsy ya know.”

 

Lucio stood very still for a moment, shell shocked at what she had just dropped on him. He did vaguely remember the conversation, but only because he still felt uneasy for having gotten a little mad at her. Hana must have tucked that conversation away and was only now acting on it. Booking a place with a fire pit in the back and skewers in the kitchen? This had been no accident. A grin slowly spread over his face and he walked forward to hug her around the waist from behind. “I'd love to.”

 

By the time they had finished cooking the sun had dipped beneath the horizon. The shadows of night had stretched out their fingers and were covering the land all around their cabin only to be held at bay by the golden embers and flames dancing in their fire pit. Lucio sat up from his perch lying atop Hana as he grabbed a knife nearby. “I'd say those are about done. Now all we need to do is cut the meat off and start eating.” He handed a plate to Hana before picking up one of the skewers and sawing pieces directly off of it and onto said plate. Afterwards he sliced some off for himself before sitting down in the chair next to hers. “This was really nice of you Hana, it's been a long time since I've had the chance to eat churrasco.”

 

Hana reached over to squeeze his shoulder but didn't respond right away. Partly because she wasn't sure what to say but mostly because her mouth was full of savory chicken that had been slowly roasted over charcoal embers. She finished chewing and swallowed it down. “Don't thank me, you're the one who knows how to cook this. I just did what you told me to do.”

 

After they had both eaten their fill the two of them began to slide the remaining chunks of meat off the skewers and into containers which they put into the fridge for later. Lucio stretched his arms above him in the air and yawned as he headed for the bathroom. “Well I think I'll call it a night. I'll see you in the morning babe.”

 

“Lucio.”

 

The tone of her voice was soft, uncharacteristically so in fact and there was something else present. A thread woven through his name that he hadn't ever heard before. Lucio turned around to look at her. Hana was standing there, one hand outstretched with several small squares of plastic in her palm. His eyes widened as he realized what they were. “Hana...”

 

She just shook her head. “No, let me go first. When we first met I thought you were cute so I was flirting with you because it seemed like fun. At first it was just Starcraft and physical therapy but I started to get to know who you are as a person and we became friends. Then after my surgery you were there for me when I needed it. You cooked for me, you fed me, you cleaned my house for me. I know you said it was for hours at work but we both know that's bullshit. You showed up every day for months, long past however many hours you needed to get. You like me. I like you and...” Hana raised her hand with the condoms towards them. “I want to share your bed tonight Lucio.”

 

Lucio just closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. “I _do_ like you Hana but you don't really mean that.” He gripped his pants and pulled them up to reveal the bottom of his prosthetic legs. “Who wants someone who isn't even fully a man?”

 

“I do. I don't care about your legs and it's not like I don't have problems of my own.” She held up her other hand, the one whose fingers still shook and lacked the strength to open a jar. “Your legs don't define you as a person.” Hana walked forward and put a hand on the middle of his chest. “It's what's in here that I've come to love.”

 

“You really mean it don't you?” asked Lucio.

 

“Yes.”

 

Lucio hesitated as he looked down at the condoms before taking the one his size. Hana turned her palm over dropping the rest to the ground then took Lucio's hands in hers. He quietly followed behind her into his room and sat down on the bed. Hana leaned down to kiss him on the lips before stepping back as she started to undress herself with fingers trembling for reasons other than her injuries. When the last of her clothes was on the ground Hana took a deep breath as she stood fully exposed to his dark eyes. Her breasts were on the smaller side but still perky and as Lucio looked at her Hana's nipples were already beginning to stiffen. Further down in the middle of her legs was a unruly thatch of black hair, soft and long though it had clearly been trimmed around the edges. “...Well?” demanded Hana though her voice quavered as she said it.

 

“You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen.” said Lucio. “The first time I saw you I thought was imagining things because I didn't believe anyone real could be that beautiful but you are...” He pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the ground before undoing the zipper on his pants. As he did so Hana sat down on the bed next to him as he pulled the slacks off and threw them aside. Lucio turned towards Hana and put a hand on her knee. “I... I do want to make love with you but not with these.” He looked down at the constructs of carbon fiber attached to what was left of his legs. “It should just be the two of us but I don't know how to... without them...”

 

Hana leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead as she hooked a finger beneath the elastic band of his underwear. “Don't worry I'll make this work.”

 

“How?”

 

“Trust me, you have no idea how much porn I've watched. I know exactly what to do here.” boasted Hana though she faltered after the words came out. “... but I actually haven't done it before.”

 

Lucio put a hand on her cheek as he smiled at her. “Doesn't matter, _we'll_ make it work.” He took her free hand and guided it to the 'cup' of one prosthetic that held his leg in it. Hana reluctantly pulled her other hand away from his underwear as she pulled one artificial limb then the other off and carefully set them down on the floor.

 

“Put the condom on while I set this up.” As Lucio followed her instructions she was grabbing the pillows and stacking them against the beds headboard. Once the two of them were done she pushed Lucio's back against the pile and straddled his lap. “Well... let's get started...”

 

***

 

Hana groaned while she pushed herself up and off of Lucio then slumped onto the mattress next to him. “Oh my god my thighs are killing me. What exercises am I supposed to do to make this easier for next time? Never mind I don't want to think about that right now.” She grabbed one of the pillows from beneath Lucio and stuffed it under her head. “So was that as fun for you as it was for me?”

 

Lucio idly drew an invisible line from her shoulder down to her elbow with his fingers. “That was fun but you rushed things. I would have liked to spend more time just being able to touch you. The buildup is as important as the main course...”

 

“Are you trying to tell me I was sucky?” sputtered Hana.

 

Lucio put his arms around her as he tried to explain what he had meant. “No! No, no, no. What we did was great but it could have been even better if we had taken our time. There's more to sex than sticking penises into vaginas. I could have gone down on you or you could have given me a blowjob for

example. I don't want us to just have decent sex, I want us to have great sex. I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just saying we can do better.”

 

Hana let out a small sigh as she turned onto her side and pressed her foreheads against his shoulder. “Okay that makes sense but your bedside manner could use some work. Protip – people don't want to hear 'could have been better' right after having sex you know!”

 

“You're right of course. I don't know what I was thinking.” said Lucio as he let go of her while sitting up and started shoving himself towards where his prosthetic limbs were.

 

“Wait a second... where's your condom!?” exclaimed Hana as she watched him.

 

“What?” Lucio looked down at himself reflexively. Sure enough the piece of latex that was supposed to be there wasn't. “... I put it on right... it must have come off when you got off of me...”

 

“Shit!” Hana sprang up off the bed and and bounded towards the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Lucio's hand found its way to his forehead with a loud slapping sound as he realized the mistake he had made.

 

After a painfully long few minutes Lucio heard the muffled sound of a toilet flushing before Hana came back to the bedroom. “Did you...”

 

“I found it, thing's in the trash now.” answered Hana as she crawled back onto the bed beside him. “Though I really don't want to have to go hunting for a condom like that again.”

 

“Sorry, I should've held onto it when you were getting off me. It's my fault.” Lucio turned to look down at Hana. “So any plans for tomorrow or were you just going to stay in bed the entire time we're here?”

 

“Mmmm staying in bed with you for a whole week. That sounds fun but I think you'd get tired of having me on top of you all the time.” teased Hana.

 

“Get tired of it? As if. You can ride me for as long as you want babe.” His words were flirtatious but the

look in his eyes and the way he was touching her cheek.

 

“You mean it don't you?”

 

Lucio gave one of those smiles that made her heart skip a beat. “Absolutely. I'm your man... well I actually have to go use the bathroom but when I come back then I'll be your man. Deal?”

 

Hana rolled her eyes though she squeezed his hand as he reached for one of his artificial limbs. “Deal. I don't know what comes next though Lucio.”

 

Her partner paused in the middle of inserting a leg back into its 'cup'. “Doesn't matter. I've told you I'll be there for you and I will be. Whatever comes next we can face it together.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end of Reconstruction. If you made it this far thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.


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